What Would You Give
by stealthclaw343
Summary: Darkness is coming, and as tensions rise in the clans the three must find the fourth, for the final battle is soon to be. Nowhere is safe, not even their own minds...  OOTS book length alternate ending! Starts after book five! R&R!
1. An Attempt

**Disclaimer: I'm only posting this once, so read now or forever hold your accusations! XD I do not own Warriors or any of the characters in this story except possible original characters created by myself. All other characters belong to the Erin Hunters. (For those who don't know, there are three Erins who all co-write the Warriors books.) Happy reading!**

Hello all! My name is stealthclaw343, obviously. I'll update my profile with bits of info along the way but for now lets all enjoy the following story. Its set just after Omen of the Stars: The Forgotten Warrior. Sol has once again disappeared and left the clans confused. The battle with Windclan was won but tensions are mounting further and with the battle to end all coming closer still, three must become four, and the final battle must be won. No one knows who to trust, can they even trust themselves? Lets get started!

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><p>Jayfeather sighed, standing over his herbs. His supplies were fairly meager, and with leaf-bare right around the corner he knew it would be a rough one if he didn't stock up soon. On the plus side, he seemed to have an abundance of catmint. However, he had almost no Horsetail left. Stowing his herbs back in their correct places, he left his den to go into the forest in search of the one he needed.<p>

Soon after leaving the entrance of camp though, he was met by Cinderheart, who was returning briskly from the direction he was heading, prey in her jaws. She brushed past him and he still sensed confusion and weariness coming off of her. Slight, but definitely there. She hid her emotions well when she wanted to, he noted. Her choice to remain a warrior had been the correct one, but she was still unsure of herself after learning the truth of her past.

After she was gone he shook his head and continued on in search of the Horsetail. Padding through the forest, he let his mind wander, listening to the sounds of birds and the lap of the waves against the shore of the lake. Passing the ancient trees, he thought of a time where everything was so simple. When he was a kit it was just him, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf. He sighed, _'Everything was so easy,'_ he thought,_ 'play with moss balls and get caught sneaking out of camp. Nothing else mattered as long as the three of us were together. Now nothing is easy…' _Things were slightly better though, now that Hollyleaf had returned, and the void where she had been, filled. But there was another void still in his heart, one that he feared would never fill. Not a day went by when he didn't think of Half-moon. He would never forget the last time he saw her, all those moons ago… Once again he sighed. For a while, he continued to think, but all to soon he found himself back in the present. His paws had led him to the lake shore, where he decided to sit down and listen, letting the soothing sound of water calm his mind. Soon enough however, he noticed the presence of another cat.

Hollyleaf.

Even though the She-cat was a ways down the shore, and hadn't noticed Jayfeather, her emotions seemed broadcasted over such a wide range that he could literally almost feel them firsthand. She, like Cinderheart, was struggling still with her place in the clan, though his sister would never show it around other cats.

Quietly, he got to his paws and began retreating back into the forest, a slight pang in his heart. Sometimes his only wish was that everyone could just be at peace, without all this turmoil. Then maybe he could be happy too.

Shaking off his dark thoughts, he continued on in search of the herb he needed. Scenting the air, he soon caught a whiff of it, in the direction of the Windclan border. He shuddered a little. Tensions had been so high with the rival clan recently, that it made him very uneasy to go anywhere near them. But, he would do what must be done. And besides, he was a medicine cat. Windclan held no grudge against him like Shadowclan seemed to, thus far anyways, and they shouldn't challenge him.

He padded swiftly towards the border, and the scent of Horsetail grew stronger. Soon he found it, just within the bounds of Thunderclan territory. As he padded over and bent to begin picking the stems, a yowl of protest rang out from the Windclan side. "Get away from there!" Someone called. With an exasperated sigh, Jayfeather scented the air to find out who would be harassing him today. A patrol of Windclan cats, consisting of none other than Breezepelt, his apprentice Boulderpaw, Crowfeather, and Nightcloud came running up. _'Oh joy…'_ He thought

"What, may I ask, are you doing?" Crowfeather, who was leading the patrol, asked coldly.

"Digging for hedgehogs," Jayfeather replied flatly, "what does it look like I'm doing?"

At this, Crowfeather bristled and replied angrily, "It looks like your stealing Windclan's herbs!"

Jayfeather snorted, "Right… Have you stolen Thunderclan's territory? Or cant you smell your own scent markers. This is on our side of the border, and unless I misunderstand the code, if its on our side, its ours. Or am I wrong?"

Crowfeather gazed at him in disgust, and Breezepelt spat, "Cant _you _smell, half-clan scum? Your borders are off, mousebrain! That's within our territory!"

Jayfeather's hackles raised from the barb but the moment Breezepelt said it, the Thunderclan sun-high patrol burst into the clearing with Graystripe at its front. "Is there a problem here?" He asked.

"Your blind medicine cat cant seem to smell either, because he's trying to steal herbs from our side of the border!" Nightcloud hissed, and Jayfeather looked more offended still.

Thornclaw, who was also part of the patrol, padded forward, and inspected the herb patch, then the scent markers, "Seems fine to me." He muttered, glaring at the Windclan cats. Then the other three Thunderclan cats, Brightheart, Whitewing, and Hazeltail, also inspected the border, reporting no problem in the placement of the scent marks.

"You all would say that, wouldn't you!" Boulderpaw growled, though he was soon silenced by Crowfeather with a cuff to the head. Breezepelt looked resentfully at his father. The Windclan cats seemed to realize that they were outnumbered and outsmarted. Both sides knew it, and both knew another fight after the one in the tunnels would be pointless with leaf-bare so close. The clans would need all of their warriors healthy, and that meant staying out of fights unless absolutely necessary, even if they were itching to get their claws at one another. "Don't think this is over." Crowfeather spat, before rallying his patrol and padding off in the direction they had come from, obviously going to cry to Onestar.

Graystripe was still for a moment, watching them go, then he turned to Jayfeather, "Take the Horsetail and lets get back to report this to Firestar, he'll want to know. We don't want to provoke another attack from Windclan, whether we think they will or not."

"Its almost as if Onestar didn't even punish some of those cats, Breezepelt at least was in the tunnels!" Whitewing muttered under her breath.

Thornclaw growled his agreement but said, "Onestar may be crazy but he's not stupid, he cant have that many warriors off doing apprentice duties, especially now… I'm sure there was some punishment, but it wasn't as severe as it may have been if times were different. Besides, as much as I'm not fond of Windclan, to a certain extent, they cant be blamed entirely, it was Sol we were dealing with…"

That was something all of them could agree with, but as they set of back towards camp, Jayfeather wondered once again when all of this trouble would cease.

*Lionblaze*

A cold leaf-fall breeze blew through the forest, creating a slight howling sound. Lionblaze crept forward, all his senses intent on the squirrel only tail lengths away. It sat on the root of a tree, nibbling on a nut, completely unaware of the danger that was lurking so near.

Just as he was about to pounce, the breeze blew again, bringing with it a bit of dust. It was just enough to tickle Lionblaze's nose.

A great sneeze came over the young tom, immediately scaring away the squirrel and leaving Lionblaze as prey less as he had begun.

"Mousedung!" He swore, padding through the ferns to where his quarry had been. It had not been a good hunting day, the cold had chased all the prey back into their holes, and it was difficult to find any that were out looking for food or otherwise! He growled in frustration before turning back the way he had come in search of other prey. It seemed to him that he had been to the other side of the forest and back. He had been hunting all morning and it was sun-high now. His belly growled hollowly, though he knew that he couldn't acknowledge it until he had fed his clan.

So he padded on, quietly through the trees until he heard voices ringing nearby. Carefully picking his way past a bramble patch towards the sound, he emerged out of the trees to find the sun-high patrol and Jayfeather returning in the direction of camp.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" He asked, tilting his head a little as he noticed how restless they all seemed.

"Dispute over on the Windclan border." Thornclaw growled quietly, "Trying to accuse Jayfeather of stealing their herbs. What next?"

"I don't see why they keep stirring up trouble," Hazeltail added, "it almost seems as though their looking for a fight."

Lionblaze nodded grimly, "Probably are-"

"It cant be helped." Graystripe cut him off, "If they are looking for a fight, there's not much we can do but try not to start one. Now come on, we have Firestar to report to."

As the patrol padded past, Lionblaze noticed Jayfeather looked particularly ruffled, "Are you okay?" He asked the small tom quietly.

"Fine." He gruffly replied around his mouthful of herbs.

"_Okay!_" Lionblaze said a little heatedly, "Sorry for caring." At this though, Jayfeather sighed.

"Its Breezepelt, he's becoming increasingly hostile," he muttered quietly to Lionblaze as they padded along, trailing the patrol. "I think that might be a sign that the dark forest cats are getting ready. We'll need to tell Ivypool to stop going soon. I don't want her caught up with them when whatever they have planned happens. It's going to be soon Lionblaze, I don't know how soon, but we need to be ready."

The other tom just nodded, lost in thought. "We'll talk about it later, don't worry to much, I think we've got a little time left." He reassured his brother.

"We're going to need all the time we can get." The grey medicine cat said, gazing sightlessly back at Lionblaze.

Though the two were brothers, Lionblaze was still unnerved every now and again by the fact that while Jayfeather was blind, he still seemed to be able to look straight at whoever he was speaking to, and meet their eyes.

Nodding in agreement, he meowed his goodbye and rushed off in search of more prey. Scenting the air, he detected a mouse not far off. He slunk through the trees until it was in sight, rummaging around in a pile of leaves, probably looking for food. It was a skinny thing, but it would have to do. Bunching his muscles, he waited for the right moment to strike.

From the pile of leaves the mouse withdrew a small red berry, clutching it in it's tiny paws, the small creature examined it for a moment, seeming perplexed. It was then that Lionblaze pounced.

Surging forward, faster than the mouse could react, he scooped the creature up in his paws and delivered it a swift, killing bite.

He looked down at it and decided that for now, he wasn't likely to find any other prey, so he picked it up in his jaws and, like the patrol, he began heading back in the direction of camp.

The small red berry that the mouse had been holding lay smashed on the ground.

*Jayfeather*

Padding into camp, Jayfeather made straight for the Medicine den, eager to keep the herbs fresh. Dipping them briefly in water to keep them moist, he stowed them in the hollow where he kept the rest of his herbs. Walking out of the crack, he heard Briarlight's soft breathing as she slept peacefully in her bed on the opposite side of the den.

He smiled. She had certainly been doing better as of late. Lionblaze had been right, all she needed was something to keep her busy. She could never be Jayfeather's proper apprentice, but she was good to have around.

Quietly slipping over, he put his ear near her chest and listened carefully to her breathing. _'No signs of weakness, not shallow. She's still doing very well!'_ He thought to himself.

Leaving her in peace, he padded outside, where he was greeted by Brambleclaw.

"Firestar would like to see you in his den." He said simply, then shrugged. "It's about the border dispute."

Jayfeather could have guessed without being told. Tensions had been so high that every problem, no matter how minor, would be discussed in great detail with the cats directly involved. It was painstaking, but necessary. Firestar was taking no chances.

After climbing up to his leader's den, he waited at the entrance and called inside. "Come in." Came the reply, and Jayfeather padded inside.

"Sit." Firestar commanded softly. "I'm sure you know why you're here?" He asked, and Jayfeather nodded. "Good," Firestar continued, "we're fortunate that that didn't lead to a fight." He muttered, gazing at the wall. "Did you get the herbs you needed?" Another nod.

"It was bad timing, they came right as I got there." Jayfeather growled.

"I understand," Firestar said, warmth in his voice. "we must be careful though, another dispute and we might not be so lucky… But what of the prophecy. I already talked to the patrol but I wanted to speak with you alone. I know that the darkness is coming, do these heightened tensions have anything to do with it?" The golden tom asked Jayfeather.

"Yes, I think they do. I cant be certain, but as time goes on, specific cats seem to have become increasingly hostile." He said, making his suspicion known to his leader.

Firestar growled, "What is there that we can do?"

"Not much," Jayfeather muttered, shaking his head. "hope, and keep the clan strong."

Firestar nodded sadly, "Right then, your free to go. Remember, I am always prepared to help the three in any way I can." He finished the last sentence in a whisper, and Jayfeather flicked his tail in thanks before leaving the den and returning to his own.

The moment he set a paw inside though, he felt a presence push roughly past him, sending a shiver down his spine. His ears perked up, scanning carefully for what he had felt. Listening in the direction of the clearing, he found that it was relatively empty, with only a few cats sharing tongues around the edges. "I'm going mad…" He muttered.

Jayfeather suddenly felt very tired. He padded over to and collapsed in his nest, paws no longer seeming to support him. It was only as he was drifting off to sleep that he noticed an odd tang in the den, _'One of the herbs must have gone bad.' _He thought blearily, _'Oh well, it can wait.'_

Sleep claimed him quickly.

_He was running through a forest, panic racing through his veins, something was after him, what, he didn't know. He was vaguely aware of another cat beside him, who seemed familiar, but at the time he couldn't place who._

_Scathing calls came from all sides, rasping his name from the dark. Running as fast as he could, the shadows seemed to come alive before his eyes and converge menacingly on him, long talons reaching out to tear away at his flesh._

_He felt them pierce him, and he fell to the ground, bleeding heavily. Looking up, he found red eyes glared back down at him. He opened his mouth and began to scream,-_

"HELP!"

The loud cry shook Jayfeather from his nightmare and, instantly alert, he raced out into the clearing to find Sandstorm standing over her mate, who lay on the ground in spasms.

Rushing over and pushing the she-cat out of the way, he examined Firestar, his heart racing faster than it had been already. He swung his head to face sandstorm and asked urgently, "What happened?"

She was frantic, "I don't know, we were eating together, and I looked away for a moment, and suddenly, this!"

"What was he eating?" Jayfeather snapped,

"That mouse." Sandstorm said softly, gazing at the small creature on the ground before the tom. Jayfeather stooped down to sniff it and recoiled slightly. "Deathberries." He growled. Pawing gently at the mouse, relief flashed briefly across his face.

Sadly, he turned to Sandstorm. "Most of the berry is still intact, he only got some of the juice, there isn't much I can do. He'll lose a life, but after that he should be fine, relatively. He must have been eating it, realized that something was wrong, and stopped. It was soon enough, but not for one of his lives. He'll be weak, and will probably have to stay in the medicine den, but he'll live. His body will phase out the poison quick enough, it wont kill him twice."

Firestar lay still now, but soon a sharp intake of breath issued from the tom. He remained unconscious for the moment, but was beginning to breath more steadily already.

"That mouse didn't eat the berry, it was put there. Someone attempted to kill Firestar." Jayfeather whispered.

By this time, all of the cats in the camp had gathered around the scene, worry radiating off of them.

"Whose mouse was that?" Sandstorm asked softly, eyes flashing from face to face.

Soon a cat pushed his way to the front and hung his head low.

"Mine." Muttered Lionblaze quietly.

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><p>Alright, there's a cliffhanger of sorts to start us off! Please review, all input is appreciated, except flames… Hope you enjoyed and the next chapter will be posted soon! I'll try to keep update times constant! (P.S. The herb at the beginning of the chapter that Jayfeather was searching for was originally going to be Marigold. I picked up The Forgotten Warrior the day after it came out (and read through it in literally about ten hours) and Jayfeather starts by searching for Marigold in that too! :D In the end I did change it to Horsetail, just to be different, but I just thought that it was really ironic! (Cause I had the beginning of this chapter typed up <em>before<em> the book came out. I wanted to wait until after it did to post anything…) Just an interesting piece of trivia there. Sorry for the long PS. XD) Anyways, reviews please and thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! : )


	2. Meetings

Hey everyone! Hope I didn't take to long! I'll be attempting to update on a bi-weekly or, if something comes up, tri-weekly basis just to give you an idea of when I'll showing up. On special occasions though I may update sooner! ; ) Thanks for the two reviews I got! I wasn't really expecting any, considering that it was only just posted but I'll take what I can get! :D Anyways, thanks again and I hope everyone enjoys the following chapter! So without further ado…

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><p>Cries of protest were heard from around the clearing as Lionblaze hung his head even lower. "No way he did this!" Thornclaw called from near the back, "It must have been a passing rogue or something!" He yowled, and soon other cats joined the warrior in agreement.<p>

Brambleclaw pushed his way to the front, padding up next to Lionblaze. "I think we can all agree that it seems very unlikely that this was Lionblaze's doing, but the thin evidence we have suggests otherwise." He turned to the tom. "Where did you find that mouse?"

"Over in the direction of the abandoned two-leg nest." He answered instantly, eyes flashing with worry. "It was ruffling around in some leaves, but I don't remember anything particularly odd about it."

Brambleclaw nodded grimly, "That rules out rogues or another clan then. He didn't find it lying there, so the berry wasn't already in place… That means it was someone from within Thunderclan…" He paused, gazing around warily, eyes narrowed. "I'm not jumping to any conclusions, but everyone must be on their guard."

At these words, Firestar let out a groan behind them as he began to stir. Jayfeather rushed quickly to his side, "Don't move." The blind medicine cat growled, feeling his leaders chest with his paws. "You've just lost a life."

"What happened?" Asked Firestar weakly, coughing a bit.

"Deathberries." Jayfeather said simply as he finished his examination. "You'll be exhausted, but physically you seem ok. Can you walk?" He asked, concern in his sightless eyes.

"I think so." Firestar grunted as he tried unsuccessfully to haul himself to his paws. Seeing her mate on the verge of collapse, Sandstorm stepped up beside him and offered her support, which he gladly took, leaning heavily against her shoulder.

"To the medicine den?" She asked, and Jayfeather nodded, escorting the two cats across the clearing, making sure his patient got inside safely. He soon came back after they were settled.

"He wont be able to go to the gathering tonight." Jayfeather muttered to Brambleclaw, and Lionblaze mentally kicked himself. He had completely forgotten about the gathering! What a time for this to happen…

Brambleclaw nodded to Lionblaze, seeing the realization in the tom's eyes. "Then we must be careful, while Thunderclan is not weak, the other clans might see things differently when they realize that Firestar is not there." He thought for a moment then sighed, "I'll stand in for him. The other leaders wont like it, but I don't see any other alternative." With this, he shook his head unhappily and turned to address his clan.

"Firestar will be well again soon enough. But, in his absence, Thunderclan must operate normally. The gathering is tonight and we will be attending as usual. All the same, I want the sun-down patrol to go out. Brackenfur, Ivypool, Spiderleg, and Foxleap, come with me, I'll be leading that one. We also need more fresh kill. So if you've nothing better to do, go and hunt. Thunderclan must remain strong!" He finished confidently.

And with that, Brambleclaw padded off with the cats he had chosen towards the camp exit. After he left, the gathered cats began to break up, some padding off into the forest to hunt, while others remained behind to enjoy the remaining daylight, duties already complete.

Lionblaze stayed where he was, with Jayfeather standing beside him. The tabby flicked an ear before whispering, "I have a theory, but we need to talk to Ivypool. Unfortunately, she just left."

"We'll speak with her after the gathering, is it about the dark forest?" Lionblaze asked quietly.

Jayfeather just nodded this time and Lionblaze sighed inwardly, _'Why does he have to be so cryptic every time I ask him something?'_ He thought to himself, a little frustrated with his brother. "I'm going hunting, see you later…" He said, and Jayfeather waved his tail goodbye.

Slipping into the forest once again, he suddenly didn't feel much like hunting. Padding in the general direction of the abandoned two-leg nest, he soon reached a sunny clearing. The grass was soft under his paws and he began to feel rather tired. Flopping down, he gazed at his surroundings. The leaves blew in the wind and the sun warmed his pelt a bit against the chilly leaf-fall air.

Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes behind him and a cat emerged. He turned his head swiftly around to meet dark, beautiful blue eyes.

Cinderheart padded to his side and sat down, her pelt brushing his. _'What is this?'_ he thought.

"Hi." She said softly.

"Hi, what's up?" Lionblaze asked, eying her, wondering vaguely why she was here.

"Just wondering if you were ok, you seemed pretty shook up by that." She said shyly.

Lionblaze sat there for a moment, gazing into her blue eyes, and began to enjoy their closeness, her body sharing heat with his in the frigid air. "I'm fine I guess." He said with a shrug.

She shook her head, "Lionblaze, I know you, you feel like your to blame for the mouse, don't you."

It wasn't a question. She was right. He knew she was. He hung his head a little. "I guess. I feel so bad. If I hadn't caught it, none of this would have happened. Firestar would be going to the gathering and there would be no suspicion in the clan!"

She lay her fluffy tail over his shoulders and he almost jumped. "I know you feel that way, but its not your fault, none of it is. I know you didn't do it, and no one else thinks that either!" She said, her words warm… And for a while they sat like that, until the sun was nearly set. Then Cinderheart got up and began to stretch, "I need to get back to go to the gathering." She said, but then her face turned a little sad. "You know that Brambleclaw didn't choose you to go tonight right?" she asked carefully.

He nodded. It had been expected. Regardless of whether or not it was indeed he who tried to kill Firestar, after the event happened he felt it was very unlikely that he would be going. He had been proved right.

Her pelt brushed his as she passed, heading back in the direction of camp, but before she left the clearing, she turned her head back to him, "I'm sorry you cant come, I'll tell you everything that happens." She promised, eyes sparkling.

"That would be great." He said, the beginnings of a purr rumbling in his throat. He squelched it, just to be safe… "I'll see you later!" He called.

"Later!" She replied, smiling, before padding off into the forest.

After she left, Lionblaze began to think. Something had changed. Was it the fact that her past had finally been revealed to her? Or was it something else? Perhaps she realized that she indeed had a greater destiny than she had originally imagined. _'Whatever it is,' _he thought, _'maybe, just maybe, I still have a shot…'_

*Jayfeather*

Jayfeather waited, shivering, in the center of camp. Cats had begun to gather around him, awaiting the call to leave for the gathering. He sat off a bit from them, preferring to be alone with his thoughts. He couldn't scent Lionblaze anywhere near so he assumed that the tom wouldn't be coming, considering the circumstances. Jayfeather shook his head, hoping his brother was ok. Then he remembered his dream that day while he was napping. He shuddered, recalling the feeling of agony as those dark talons pierced him. _'What was that place?'_ He wondered solemnly…

Soon Brambleclaw emerged from the warrior's den, padding towards the front of the group. He then waved his tail as a sign to follow and started towards the exit of camp.

Jayfeather followed behind his clanmates as they pounded through the forest at a brisk pace. Even though he was running, it still didn't drive out the cold. For once he wished he had a little more bulk, at least he'd be warmer. But no, he was small and skinny, and so he would remain. But all the same, the cold made him once again realize that this Leaf-bare would be a harsh one.

The group reached the island in good time, and took their place in the clearing. Tension seemed crackle in the air like lightning from all clans save Riverclan, who were oddly tranquil.

Brambleclaw padded up to the great oak but stopped at it foot. He seemed unsure of exactly what to do, to sit at the bottom, or join the three leaders already seated in the tree. Shrugging, he jumped up to join them, but made a point to sit on a lower branch out of respect.

Jayfeather heard Blackstar say in a sneering voice to Brambleclaw, "Has the kittypet gone leader finally reached the end of his life?"

"No, Firestar is simply ill, and I am here to take his place for the night. He will be well soon enough. I appreciate you concern." Was Brambleclaw's mildly sarcastic reply.

Jayfeather could concur with most of this, but just how soon he was not certain. Firestar would recover, but perhaps not in time for even the next gathering. He shrugged, they would just have to hope for the best.

"Then Riverclan's best wishes to him." Mistystar said, true concern evident in her voice. Jayfeather found this only mildly strange. Riverclan had been particularly reasonable lately. At least someone was….

Onestar had nothing to say on the subject as Blackstar stood and began to address the clans. "Despite the cold weather, Shadowclan is strong. The prey runs well, as it has all season. We hope that the other clan's prey is running equally as well," Jayfeather's ears perked up, but then Blackstar continued, "because we wouldn't want anyone stealing from Shadowclan would we?" Of course, it was all in the spiteful interest of Shadowclan. Surprise, surprise. A few grumbles could be heard around the clearing, none from the direction of Shadowclan.

Mistystar got up after Blackstar finished and gave her address, then sat down to allow Onestar to give his. He began, "Prey runs well in Windclan, the moor is calm with few ailments. However, there is a particular one I feel needs to be addressed. We do in fact have thieves among us. And a killer as well." He said, voice scornful... _'What is he getting at?'_ Jayfeather wondered. It was then that he felt eyes boring into him, staring hot into his pelt.

"We side with Shadowclan on these matters," Onestar continued, "We have reason to believe that it was Jayfeather who killed Flametail, if he is willing to steal as well."

Gasps rose from Thunderclan, and Riverclan too. It seemed as though the tables had turned a little, who used to be Thunderclan's ally was now Shadowclan's and who used to be theirs was now Thunderclan's. _'How ironic…'_ Jayfeather thought absently, barely hearing Onestar's ridiculous accusation. He had dismissed it long ago when it was first made by Shadowclan.

Then it was Brambleclaw who spoke, "Onestar, this is neither the time nor place for these words. The herbs in question were on our side of the border, and as for the matter of Flametail, I believe it to be very unlikely that a Medicine Cat would kill anyone, much less another Medicine Cat. If you have nothing more to say, I humbly request that you sit and allow me to speak."

Onestar hissed angrily but said nothing as Brambleclaw stood, "Prey runs well in Thunderclan, with few problems other than the cold we all feel. However, we scented a fox on our territory recently," Jayfeather's eyes narrowed at this, _'There was no fox on our territory…'_ He thought, confused. Then Brambleclaw continued, "We haven't found it, but we believe it is still in the area. I advise caution, if you will. That is all." he said before sitting down.

Jayfeather was stumped, but after a moment it began to dawn on him, _'By suggesting that there was a fox in our area, he made the other three clans wary to venture into Thunderclan territory on account of the it. While they know Firestar is weak, Brambleclaw found a way to discourage an attack! (Even though it isn't true, the other clans don't know that!) Brilliant!'_ He thought, a smile creeping across his face.

Mistystar dipped her head, "Thank you, Brambleclaw, we will be sure to keep a close eye out for it. If no one has any other news, then I call this gathering to a conclusion, may Starclan light your paths." She said, before jumping down from the oak, gathering her clan, and padding off into the night.

Brambleclaw came down soon after, nodded to Thunderclan as they gathered around him, and padded swiftly back to camp…

*Lionblaze*

Laying in the warrior's den, Lionblaze opened his eyes. He had dozed off after returning from the forest. There was a warmth in his heart as he remembered what had happened. Getting out of his nest, he took a long stretch, groaning as his muscles loosened. It was near moon-high, and the cats who had gone to the gathering would return soon. He padded into the clearing and stared up at the full moon as it shined down on him.

At that moment the first cats from the gathering reentered camp, with Brambleclaw at their front. Most of the warriors went straight to their dens, barely noticing Lionblaze. Jayfeather, Ivypool, and Dovewing came last. His brother was whispering to the two of them before flicking his tail and sending them to their den. After they were gone he padded over to Lionblaze. "We'll meet tonight, there is much we have to discuss. I know its late, but I'm not sure this can wait any longer. Meet by the shore of the lake at moon-high." He said under his breath.

Lionblaze nodded and padded in the direction of the warriors den, where he knew at least two others were already faking sleep.

Moon-high came quickly, and they left one at a time, as if through mental agreement, waiting a few minutes between each other. Lionblaze was the last to leave, glancing only once over his shoulder to check to see that his clanmates were still sound asleep.

Then he padded through the tunnel, past a sleeping Berrynose (who was supposed to be on guard duty) and towards the lake. The others were already there, silhouettes in the pale moonlight.

As he sat down Jayfeather began to speak, "I have a theory. Ivypool, tell me, how have things been in the Dark Forest?" The tabby's head tilted a bit.

"Well…" Ivypool began uncertainly, "things _have_ been, uh, changing, I guess. Tigerstar is getting more excited, I think whatever they've got planned will happen soon." She muttered and Jayfeather nodded.

"See, that's what we thought. Increasing hostility, combined with what happened today indicate something suspicious to me at least. Has Tigerstar mentioned anything strange, like a strategy of sorts, some sort of plan?" He continued.

"Nothing, except that they said they were going to weaken the clans first. He didn't say how though…" The she-cat replied, shaking her head.

Jayfeather nodded again, "If that's the case, I think it's somehow connected to what occurred with Firestar today. Cats from the dark forest have materialized before. They helped Breezepelt attack me at the Moonpool, and I think they did it again today." He said sadly.

Lionblaze's eyes widened, "So are you saying they're getting stronger? Enough to make an attempt to kill a cat?"

For the third time that night, Jayfeather just nodded.

Dovewing spoke up, "If they're getting stronger, that means we'll have to be more careful." She addressed Jayfeather specifically next, "I think its time Ivypool stopped going to the Dark Forest." She said with an odd air of authority.

Jayfeather complied instantly for once, saying with certainty, "Yes, things will soon be too dangerous, and every time you go, they have another chance to identify your true intentions. I don't want you found out or caught up with this when it goes down. You've done a great job, but now its time to get out."

Ivypool looked very relieved, though also a little disappointed, Lionblaze soon comforted her concern, "Don't worry, you've been very helpful and you can continue to be. You know the Dark Forest and how they work better than any cat loyal to the clans. Plus that, we'll need all the help we can get in the battle thats sure to come. Your not done yet, none of us are." He said with a grin, and Ivypool perked up a little.

Dovewing spoke once more, "That's all good, but we still have a big problem on our hands. What are we going to tell our clanmates about the Deathberry. We cant just tell them a dead cat from the Dark Forest tried to kill Firestar. They'd think we were mouse brained, regardless of how true it is!"

Jayfeather seemed to agree with this, considering it carefully before answering her, "I don't know what we can tell them that they'll be likely to believe. Perhaps it would be best to leave it be for now-"

He was cut off by Lionblaze, who suddenly didn't like where this was going, "Now wait," He said, worry in his eyes, "there's still my tail at risk here, I may be innocent, but if no one comes forward, which no one will, the blame will likely rest on me!"

Dovewing nodded, "We could speak with Firestar about it, maybe he'll have an idea. I mean, we've got a little time I would think…" She said, gazing at the other three.

"Yes, I think so." Jayfeather muttered. "But it'll be a few days. Firestar is still very weak. We'll have to wait."

"That's fine I suppose," Lionblaze muttered, eyes down, thinking, "it's not like anyone is shunning me… Yet." Then he brightened again, "Besides, Firestar is a great leader, he'll think of something."

Ivypool nodded before yawning wide, "Well, I don't know about you guys," She said blearily, "But I could sleep for a moon! It been a long day! Are we done here?"

"I suppose." Jayfeather muttered, and they all got up and began padding back towards camp. On the way there, Lionblaze wondered again what they would tell their clanmates about their mysterious would-be killer…

*Outside POV*

The four young cats entered the camp and returned to their respective dens. After they settled in, an ominous silence fell.

Just outside the Thunderclan camp, two amber eyes peered out from within a tree, watching the peaceful and silent cats as they slept far below. The bright orbs remained a moment more, then winked out…

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><p>Well, another chapter up! :D Frankly, I had rather mixed feelings about this one, but I hope you likes it anyways! There have been hints at the plot in this chapter and the first one, but it should make parts of itself apparent rather soon. So, tell me what you think! Review are welcome so long as they're not flames, so please do! See you all in about two weeks! : )<p> 


	3. Quiet

Hello all! Guess what! I'm going to be updating weekly from now on! (hopefully) Why? Because I want this story finished by the time the next Omen Of The Stars book comes out. I don't want to interfere with that book (and frankly I don't want it interfering with my FF ^^'). Right then! Thanks for reading my A/N! Now, to the chapter!

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><p>Jayfeather's eyes snapped open in the midmorning light. Despite his short sleep, he felt good, almost content. Almost. Crawling out of his nest, he stretched his aching limbs, shaking the sleep from his body. Perking his ears up, he heard Firestar sleeping nearby, breath coming in a slow rhythm. That was good, he was getting better already. Ironically, at that moment, the golden tom woke up.<p>

"Jayfeather?" He croaked, gazing around the den.

"I'm here, how are you feeling." The medicine cat asked, reaching out into Firstar's thoughts. He sensed exhaustion and drowsiness, but no feeling of fever, which was good.

"Like a badger sat on me." Firestar huffed, "How soon can I move back to the leader's den?"

"It'll be awhile," Jayfeather said, shaking his head, "the effects of even a small amount of juice from Deathberries can be very long term. Lets just be happy you'll live."

Firestar sighed, then tried to get up before falling once again into his nest. Jayfeather intervened before he tried again, "You need to rest, go back to sleep. Brambleclaw has everything covered." He reassured his leader gently.

Interest spiked from Firestar, "What happened at the gathering last night? Did everything go ok in my absence?" he asked frantically.

Thinking carefully over his reply, Jayfeather said, "I think Brambleclaw would be better able to explain what happened, I suppose it went ok… When I see him I'll send him this way. Alright?"

He heard Firestar shrug, "It'll have to do…" He said.

Jayfeather nodded, "Now get back to sleep, you need as much rest as possible. Remember, the more you rest, the sooner you get out of here, and the sooner you get out of here, the less you have to worry." he told his patient before bidding him a good rest and leaving the den.

Ducking his head to enter the clearing, he noticed that it was nearly empty. Most of the patrols had already left. A little guilt flashed through his mind, he had slept in for a long while. Then he shrugged it off as nothing, he was a medicine cat, not a warrior. No one could tell him when to get up.

He smiled a little, that was one of the few things he liked about his job, he could do virtually as he pleased, so long as he supported the clan in the medical aspect at least. Warriors always had a patrol to go on or a battle to fight, it was a constant job. Over the moons and seasons, he had begun to enjoy medicine, despite his early doubt.

As he padded into the forest in search of herbs, he encountered Seedkit and Lilykit, Sorreltail's recent litter, just outside of camp. Seedkit was examining a stem of catmint, while Lilykit batted at a pinecone. "Hey!" Jayfeather called to them, "You shouldn't be out of camp! Your mother will be worried soon!"

Surprise mounted from both kits as they realized that they had been caught, "Sorry Jayfeather." Seedkit muttered, dropping the catmint. Lilykit said nothing, but Jayfeather heard the sound of soft pawsteps beginning to sneak around behind him.

"Lilykit, I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I don't know where you are." He said as she was about to bat at his tail. The kit scampered back in front of Jayfeather. "How did you know where I was?" Came the shocked squeak.

"I have ears." He said simply, then his nose twitched, noting specifically for the first time what exactly Seedkit had been looking at. "Seedkit, where did you find that herb?" He asked gently.

"Right over here." She said, leading him over to a bush. She parted the branches and the scent of Catmint washed over him. How could it be? The only place where he thought catmint grew was in his private patch. Evidently he had been wrong. How had this kit found another patch? Luck? _'Probably.'_ He thought to himself before flicking an ear at the small she-cat, "Good find…" He murmured to her, before addressing both of them, "Now, get back to camp before anyone notices you were gone."

Both kits seemed somewhat relieved before scampering off in the direction of camp. He heard the bramble barrier rustle as they entered and smiled a little, remembering his days as a kit, sneaking out of camp just like every kit before him. This in mind, he had decided to let them off easy.

Stopping at the bush Seedkit had shown him, he picked some of the herbs from it, why venture to his own stash when there was some so near camp?

With the catmint in his jaws, he continued on, picking his way through the forest that he knew so well. Near the Shadowclan border, he scented Brambleclaw and his dawn patrol. The deputy was tired, Jayfeather could tell that. He had been working hard all night organizing the new night patrol schedule. He really wasn't taking any chances.

Jayfeather was as gentle as possible when he told the brown tabby, "Brambleclaw, Firestar would like to see you in the medicine den when you get back."

He heard the other tom sigh, "Cant it wait?" He muttered, and anger flashed through Jayfeather, growing quickly.

"No it cant, he needs to know about the gathering, and I'm sure he'll be interested in the night patrols."

The deputy submitted, "Ok, if you get back before we do, tell him I'll be there as soon as possible." He said tiredly. Jayfeather nodded and continued on, flicking Lionblaze on the shoulder with his tail as he passed.

Padding along the Shadowclan border, he felt eyes gazing out of the trees at him. His hackles raised cautiously, but he stayed quiet. Hostility radiated from the other side, but then it vanished, whisking into the shadows again, with only a rustling branch to give way to the fact that a cat had indeed been there.

The scent of Shadowclan reached his nose, but that was not what he found curious, the scent of Windclan was also mingled with it. "There is something very strange about this…" He muttered to himself before carrying on. No reason to worry about the strange dealings of their shadowy enemies… Yet.

*Lionblaze*

Lionblaze yawned widely. He was tired, as he had been all morning. Last night had not been good, he was up for most of it, then had slept fitfully afterward. His dreams had been plagued with visions of the mountains, even though he hadn't been one of the cats to go. There were always cats battling in them, members of the Tribe Of Rushing Water turning against family, friends, and even mates in a blind fury, attacking mercilessly. Those who were turned against always fought back bravely, but in the end it was in vain.

Perhaps he would speak with Jayfeather later about the subject. He couldn't make heads or tails of it but perhaps his brother could.

Shadowclan had been oddly absent on their border, and the patrol was quiet and uneventful, which only added to Lionblaze's exhaustion. Somehow, doing nothing had simply made him more tired. Strange how the world works…

He padded into camp and picked a shrew of the meager fresh kill pile. It looked like he would be hunting once again today. _'But perhaps I can make it a bit more interesting…' _He thought warmly, eyeing a certain grey she-cat.

Ravenously digging into his shrew, he finished it quickly, then padded over to the side of the clearing where Cinderheart was lying in the sun. He snuck over to her and prodded her gently with a paw.

Her eyes opened quickly and she sat up. "Hello Lionblaze!" She said cheerfully, appearing happy to see him at least.

"Hi, I was wondering if you wanted to go hunting, the fresh kill pile needs to be stocked." He said, calm on the outside but rather nervous inside.

"I'd love to, here, just let me finish this mouse." She said, gesturing to the half-eaten prey at her paws.

She finished soon and they padded out of camp, pelts brushing lightly. The sun shone down but clouds were beginning to cover it, dark ones. _'It'll be a rainy night…'_ Lionblaze thought mildly, gazing at the sky. Cinderheart flicked him on the shoulder with her tail.

"Are you going to stare at the sun till you go blind or are we going to hunt?" She asked playfully.

"I don't know, maybe I'll finally figure out what it feels like to be Jayfeather!" He shot back, laughing.

"Yes, but what fun would that be, Jayfeather is always such a grumpy mouse!" She said lightly, only half joking about the grey tabby in question.

"True, but you learn to love him." Lionblaze said with a shrug, "Where should we hunt?" He asked, staring into her eyes. They really were beautiful…

"Maybe over near the lake," She said, snapping him out of his trance, "no ones been there in a while!"

"Good idea, race you!" He said with a smile, but she must have been thinking along the same lines, because she had already shot off!

He chased after her, gaining ground quite quickly. _'She's not trying!'_ He thought to himself, amused, _'I know she can run faster than this!'_ And sure enough, as soon as he was neck and neck with her, she flew off, faster than a scared rabbit. Lionblaze didn't have a chance!

When he finally reached the lake after her, he was puffing quite heavily. "Alright, you got me. You win!" He said dramatically, falling over in mock defeat.

She flicked an ear and smirked, "With all that huffing and puffing you probably just scared off all the prey in the forest!" She teased.

"Yeah, well, at the speed you were running you didn't do much better than me!" He countered smoothly.

She sidled over to him and sat close, "I suppose that's true…" She said with a purr.

Once again Lionblaze wondered what had changed, but just as quickly dismissed it. It didn't matter.

"So, are you ready to hunt, or do you want to keep resting for a moment?" He asked after a few minutes, and she shrugged.

"The clan needs to be fed, sitting here is nice, but duties are duties. Though they aren't so bad when your with someone…" she said, smiling a little.

He grinned back, then got up, scenting the air. There was a vole shuffling around on the shore of the lake. He angled his ears toward it and Cinderheart got the message. She backed up toward the forest and began to cross to the other side of their quarry, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Lionblaze was already in position and saw the opening first, he darted at the small creature, tactfully missed, and sent it running straight into Cinderheart's waiting claws. She killed it with a clean nip to the neck, then picked it up in her jaws and carried it over to Lionblaze.

"Good catch!" He said, eyes happy.

She dropped the prey and said, "It was teamwork!"

"Yes, I guess it was." Lionblaze said thoughtfully. It was a good catch, and was the first of two more. A blackbird caught by Lionblaze, and an unlucky rabbit that had strayed into Thunderclan territory caught by Cinderheart. It had been a great day of hunting to say the least! Rabbit was rarely seen in Thunderclan, and the Blackbird would feed the elders if not the queens as well! _'And in late leaf-fall! What luck!' _Lionblaze thought contentedly as they padded back into camp.

"I enjoyed today." Said Cinderheart, looking a little uncomfortable as they dropped their prey on the fresh kill pile.

"I did too," Lionblaze muttered, "We should do it again sometime?" He asked hopefully.

She nodded confidently and called, "Definitely!" before padding into the warrior's den for a nap.

He stared happily at where she had been even after her tail had flicked into the den as well. He barely even noticed when Brambleclaw called his name for the second time. "Lionblaze!" The deputy said again, clearly frustrated.

"Oh, sorry Brambleclaw!" The golden tom said, ears burning a little bit.

"Quit mooning for a little while. I need you to lead the sun-down patrol!" Brambleclaw said, and Lionblaze sighed. "I know you just got back," the senior warrior told him gently, "But I need someone who knows what they're doing to check out the Windclan border tonight. I think that's you." He said, a light in his eyes.

Lionblaze's head shot up at this. Brambleclaw thought he was the best choice? His heart rose at the praise. "Sure Brambleclaw!" He said, fatigue forgotten, "Who do you want me to take?"

"Take Cloudtail, Squirrelflight, Brackenfur, and Sandstorm." Brambleclaw ordered, before adding quietly, "Sandstorm needs to get out, she's so worried about Firestar…"

Lionblaze nodded before gathering the cats he needed. Cloudtail and Brackenfur were across the clearing sharing tongues, and Squirrelflight was in the warrior's den.

Lionblaze padded over to the Medicine den and poked his head in. He couldn't scent Jayfeather anywhere, so he called inside, "Sandstorm, Brambleclaw wants you to come on the sun-down patrol!"

Whispering could be heard farther back before Sandstorm replied wearily, "Ok, I'm coming!"

Soon all five of them were gathered at the entrance of camp, and at the flick of Lionblaze's tail, the set off towards the Windclan border.

Everyone was quiet on the way there, their moods seeming to blend with the dark weather. Lionblaze on the other hand, though he didn't speak, was quite elated. It had been a great day so far, and little could spoil it for him. Sure, he was tired, but he was happy too.

Soon they reached the border and as they padded along it, Cloudtail spoke up, "Its strange, they haven't even renewed their scent markers today." He muttered, and Lionblaze nodded in agreement. "The borders have been quiet all day, almost _to_ quiet if you were to ask me. We'll have to notify Brambleclaw when we return. It may be nothing, but with everything as it is, we'd best be cautious."

Everyone seemed to concur with that as they continued on with the patrol. By the time they were done, the sun had almost set and it had begun to drizzle. They all padded into camp, wet and tired. Lionblaze's patrol went straight for the warrior's den, leaving him there to talk to Brambleclaw. He sighed, _'Just one last thing to do.' _He thought, raising his head to look around for the brown tom.

He soon spotted him over beneath the high-ledge, sheltering from the rain. Lionblaze splashed over to him and sat down beside his deputy. "All was quiet along the Windclan border. To quiet."

Brambleclaw nodded, "We'll increase the guard tonight and add an extra patrol. I know just the cats. We must be careful, I have told the clans that there was a fox on our territory, but they may not heed my warning…" He trailed off and dismissed Lionblaze with a flick of his tail. The orange tom gratefully raced into his den.

*Jayfeather*

Jay was soaked.

He padded into his den, frustrated, and shook his pelt, scattering water everywhere. Some of it splattered onto Firestar, who woke with a start. Jayfeather realized what he had done and was quick to apologize, "Sorry about that Firestar, I forgot I wasn't the only one in here." he grinned guiltily.

"That's fine Jayfeather. How was everything today?" The leader asked, seeming calm and awake.

Jayfeather shrugged, "Nothing much, all was calm, except for this rain…"

Firestar laughed, noticing his state for the first time, "I see it got you." He joked, seeming young again for a moment.

Jayfeather hissed to himself before replying, "Yeah, I guess it did."

Firestar yawned, his nest rustled, and soon the sounds of sleep once again came from the tom. The poppy seeds seemed to be working. The breathing pain caused by the Deathberry was reduced, but naturally whoever ingested the seeds would be prone to dropping rather randomly off to sleep. Jayfeather chuckled before licking himself more or less dry. The rain had seemed to come out of nowhere, dousing him quickly and ruining his mood for the day. He hated being dirty or wet, so being drenched wasn't exactly his idea of a good time.

Soon he was finished with his cleaning and went to go curl up in his nest. At that exact moment though, Lionblaze padded into the den. Jayfeather sighed.

"Hey Jayfeather, sorry to bother you…" His brother mumbled, sensing Jayfeather's exasperation.

"No, its fine. What do you need." He asked.

Lionblaze seemed conflicted about something, but he quickly spilled it, "I had a dream last night. It was about the tribe cats in the mountains."

Jayfeather sat down, suddenly interested. "Go on." He encouraged.

"There was a battle, it seemed as though their own clanmates had turned against each other. One side always won, and the other always lost…" He trailed off.

Jayfeather nodded, "Is that it? And this dream recurred throughout the night?" He asked.

"Yeah, it was very strange, do you think it means anything?" Lionblaze questioned, voice concerned.

Jayfeather thought for a moment before replying, "Perhaps, I cant be certain, but it could be nothing. Tell me if you have it again. I don't want to ignore anything like that. If you have anything more than a mouse chasing dream, I need to know. It might have something to do with the prophecy." He finished the last part in a whisper, ears angled towards Briarlight, who was nearby, appearing asleep.

Lionblaze nodded but didn't have time to give a proper reply because of a sudden commotion out in the clearing. Lionblaze's claws came unsheathed as Dovewing's frantic screech filled the camp, "Windclan and Shadowclan are attacking!"

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><p>Hah! Another cliffhanger! I had been hinting about the attack all chapter if you hadn't figured it out yet! Once again, there were also more hints about where the plot is really going, but I'll move it clearly along soon! : ) I liked this chapter better than the last one, and hope they just keep getting better! (Note: Seedkit and Lilykit are indeed Sorreltail's kits, I read through The Forgotten Warrior and didn't catch their names the first time, but I found them later. Sadly, no description was given of the two, other than that both were she-cats. I'll be giving full descriptions of my own making soon, but they will in no way count as OCs. I didn't do one today as the only part that they appeared in was Jay's POV, so you'll just have to wait! ;D Whew! Long note! Sorry bout that again!) See you all in a week! Thanks for reading, and please review!<p> 


	4. Thunder

Merry Christmas! Happy to be updating again! Sorry I didn't update Thursday, but I wanted to update on Christmas day! Now, to business, I seem to have forgotten to publicly thank my reviewers from chapter before last! *Shoots self* So, without further delay, thanks for those reviews! Much appreciated! Now, for last chapter! Thank you to those of you who reviewed, added, or favorited! I think we also had a question:

dragon paw: Was Onestar always that mean? No, not really I guess. He and Firestar used to be great friends in fact, but as the series has gone on, he has become increasingly paranoid and hostile… : ( Too bad honestly, I always liked Windclan. But it adds another antagonist, so it's a little more interesting to write! : )

Right! Here's the chapter:

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><p>Lionblaze felt fury swell within him as he shot into the clearing. Thunderclan's warriors were already streaming out of the dens, preparing to meet their foes. He felt a brief spike of pride for his clanmates. Then a loud yowl caught his attention and his gaze shot up.<p>

At the top of the hollow, cats were clearly outlined in the moonlight. Rain spattered against their pelts, making them look as sleek and dangerous as they were. Thunder crashed and lightning lit the sky behind them. They looked something akin to the cats in the dark forest from his dreams so long ago. The flash of light also revealed something else, Thunderclan was severely outnumbered.

His claws were already unsheathed and he dug them into the ground as his insides tightened and twisted. It wouldn't matter how strong or how hard he fought, these odds were next to impossible, they had twice the warriors Thunderclan did. _'So Windclan and Shadowclan have teamed up after all…'_ He thought, catching the stench of both clans even through the rain. _'Starclan help us.'_

Blackstar pushed his way to the front, his white pelt visible in the darkness. Onestar was with him. "So," The Shadowclan leader began, "you're thieves and killers now." He shook his head and clicked his tongue, as if talking to a kit, "I think it's about time someone taught Thunderclan its place."

"Blackstar this isn't necessary! Leaf-bare is on its way! We must stop this senseless fighting. Jayfeather had nothing to do with Flametail's death, he was trying to save him!" Brambleclaw called desperately from the entrance to the Warrior's den.

"Lies!" Blackstar yowled furiously. And with that, he waved his tail and the mass of Shadowclan and Windclan streamed into the clearing.

With a screech of rage, Lionblaze launched himself at the closest enemy, who happened to be Breezepelt.

"I've waited for this a long time." The flame colored tom snarled at his half-brother, but the Windclan warrior only smiled.

Time slowed as it always did for Lionblaze in the heat of battle. Lunging forward, he clawed at Breezepelt's legs. His opponent dodged nimbly, then Lionblaze felt a force plow him over almost immediately after!

'_He's fast!'_ Lionblaze thought frantically as he kicked up with his hind paws.

He received a satisfying "OOMF!" from the Windclan warrior as he got the breath knocked out of him. Scrambling to his feet, Lionblaze took the opportunity to glance around him.

The results of his observations were not pretty, Thornclaw had already gone down, unmoving. Dovewing was holding her own against a Shadowclan tom, but he appeared to be slowly gaining ground as time went on. Hollyleaf was fiercely battling Crowfeather and Nightcloud, a mask of sheer rage covering her face as she darted nimbly between them. She seemed fine, but closer observation revealed a long gash down her side.

Shifting his gaze back to Breezepelt, he saw that the Warrior was already up with his breath back, lunging at Lionblaze all too soon.

He intercepted the dash with claws across Breezepelt's nose, which seemed to do nothing but infuriate him. Hissing and spitting, the black tom shot forward over and over again, slowly backing Lionblaze up. He hadn't managed to land a hit yet, but there was a first time for everything, regardless of powers…

There was a momentary lag in Breezepelt's assault, which Lionblaze gladly took advantage of. Shooting forward, he raked his claws along the other cat's dark flank, drawing blood instantly and eliciting a yowl of pain from the recipient.

A flash of lightning momentarily blinded Lionblaze. The thunder was getting more and more frequent as the rain continued to pick up. Lionblaze's fur was plastered to his body with a mix of water and blood, none of it his of course.

Breezepelt had turned around now, bleeding heavily from his wound, one eye closed. He stared at Lionblaze and spat defiantly, blood mixing his saliva. Then he screeched and charged forward once again, this time low, trying to slip through Lionblaze's defenses. Lionblaze bunched his muscles and jumped as if hunting a mouse, flinging himself over his assailant.

Both of them turned at the same time, and unknowingly reversed tactics, Lionblaze going low this time and Breezepelt jumping high. As Lionblaze came to a stop where he had been only moments ago, he sucked in a sharp breath. He and Breezepelt had moved nearly as one, mimicking the other's movements. It worried Lionblaze. They were half brothers, true, but really how similar were they…

Breezepelt looked just as shocked, but quickly recovered, and the two began to circle, eyeing each other, waiting for an opening. Two pairs of amber eyes locked, and after a split second they both shot forward, timing identical. They clashed in the middle, claws out, eyes still locked. Claws brushed Lionblaze's ears, but didn't break skin. Flashing his own claws, he grazed Breezepelt's shoulder, barely drawing a few beads of blood. The wound was nominal.

They broke apart, jumping back in unison, eyes narrowed as they began to circle again. This time Breezepelt attacked first, teeth going for anywhere that they could land. Lionblaze got out of the was just in time, his tail whipping past his opponent's face.

He landed with a roll, shooting to his feet instantly and launching back at Breezepelt, his claws streaming towards his enemy's flank. The warrior dodged Lionblaze's attack again, moving out of the way just in time, at that very moment a large flash of lightning erupted very, very near. Lionblaze could not shake the ringing from his ears but continued to fight, the two half-brother's clashing again and again. After a particularly close grapple, they broke apart.

It was then that Lionblaze noticed the heat in the clearing, and the odd scent. He breathed in gently, and sure enough, the faint hint of smoke filled his nostrils. Eyes flashing around him, he saw the telltale warm glow outside camp. Other cats had realized the fact as well, ignoring their fight as it registered. "Fire!" Several called out, and pandemonium ensued.

Shadowclan and Windclan began to flee, as if by one thought. Breezepelt hissed as he ran past and gave one final swipe, which Lionblaze absently dodged.

"Thunderclan!" Came Brambleclaw's call from somewhere nearby, "Evacuate the camp!"

Lionblaze reacted instantly, dashing to the elder's den where they were taking cover from the battle. Gathering Mousefur and Purdy, he herded them toward the camp entrance, and they got the message, rushing towards it as fast as possible.

By this time, the tree that had fallen long ago into the middle of camp had started to catch fire, and Lionblaze could feel the flames beginning to lick his pelt as he raced over to the medicine den. He found it empty, and hoped that Jayfeather and his patients were ok.

His clanmates were streaming around him, leaving the camp, and he pushed his way through them, trying to get to the center of the clearing, where a few warriors lay wounded. He found Thornclaw on his side, breathing shallowly, but alive. Fear rushing through Lionblaze's veins, he gazed at the senior warrior, then called to the nearest cat, Dovewing, "Help me get him out of here, he'll make it!"

Dovewing nodded and began nudging Thornclaw gently, but quickly, to his paws, the tom did his best to comply, and they eventually got him to the camp entrance. Thornclaw's blood coated Lionblaze's flank, and he hoped that the warrior would see Jayfeather as soon as the fire was over.

Looking over his shoulder, Lionblaze saw that the fire had spread over the entire camp, engulfing the dens that had been meticulously created from the limbs of the tree, which was no longer in sight.

Turning, he failed to notice a grey pelt still trapped in the camp, struggling toward the entrance…

*Jayfeather*

Smoke burned in Jayfeather's lungs as he coughed once again. _'Mousebrain-mousebrain-mousebrain!'_ He rapidly scolded himself. He had gone back into the medicine den to try and retrieve some of his valuable herbs, which would inevitably be needed. Sure, he had succeeded, but now he was screwed (to put it bluntly…)!

The flames licked around his pelt as he dodged yet another chunk of wood falling from the burning tree above him. He could hear the pieces falling, but one of these times that wouldn't save him.

He coughed again, lungs constricting, trying to get oxygen, but to no avail. He dropped the herbs from his jaws this time and struggled to pick them up. Bending down, suddenly he couldn't find them, the smell of smoke driving out all other scents. Abandoning the cause of his predicament, he continued on, pushing towards where he knew the camp entrance was. It seemed so far away, and with all the fire heating his pelt it felt no closer.

Suddenly an chunk of wood impacted him and he felt an angry burning sensation on his back. Quickly dropping, he rolled, trying to smother the flames that were starting to consume him. Soon, he no longer felt the ravaging pain, but his senses were dimming. He had used up all his energy putting out the fire, and without the air he needed, the smoke would be his end instead. Praying to Starclan that everyone else had gotten out alive, he blacked out…

_His eyes slowly opened to darkness, and his heart started racing. _'Am I dead?'_ He thought frantically to himself. Getting to his paws, he swept his eyes around, still seeing nothing. Soon however, he noticed that he could indeed see, the light was just very dim. He was in a forest. At night. _'No. No no no.'_ His thoughts started racing, he wouldn't be sent to the dark forest would he? No, that wouldn't be right, he just had to find his way out of here._

_Padding through the trees, he soon came across a sparkling pool. There was a glow around it, and the water itself seemed to be emitting it. Suddenly he realized this wasn't the dark forest, for he felt at peace here. So if it wasn't the place of no stars, then where was he?_

_He continued on, half expecting Tigerstar to jump out at any second. But no, this forest did not feel foreboding like the one he knew. _'Is there night in Starclan?'_ He thought absently as he wandered on._

_His head shot up as he remembered how he got here. He was dead! Eyes widening, he began to race through the forest, looking for some kind of sign that he was alive. Soon however, he came to a stop, panting and utterly spent. His body was not trained to run this long._

_The truth sank in. He was dead. It soon became an accepted thing, but he couldn't stop thinking about it…_

"_You are not dead." A voice whispered in his ear and he shot to his paws, spinning around, eyes sweeping for the source. There was none._

"_It is not your time." The same voice quietly said into his ear again. Stumbling around, he tried to locate the speaker, but he could not._

"_You have a far great destiny, and it is not yet complete, find your way back. It is not your time Jaysfeather." The voice said, this time coming from all around him as the last word faded into nothingness._

_The voice seemed familiar, but implacable, and it puzzled Jayfeather. What had it said? That he was alive! He felt his heart rise at this and in the same moment, light began to fill the forest until he saw only white…_

Blissful air filled his lungs, only for a second though, and as smoke began to enter Jayfeather stopped inhaling. Jumping to his paws, he realized that he had been given a second chance, a breath of life, another chance to live.

Feeling invigorated, he pushed his way through the burning camp, dodging chunks of debris as he pressed onward. He was beginning to scent fresh air, but it was not enough to douse the fire that the smoke had created in his lungs. He coughed again, stumbling ever closer to the entrance to camp. He was going to make it!

Joy filled his heart as he smashed into the bramble barrier, drawing blood on his face. But he didn't care, pushing his way through, he sucked in as much clean air as his lungs could hold, breathing its sweet scent. Then once again he felt heat at his back and remembered that he had made it through the fire, but he was not out of the flames yet!

Breaking into a run, he began to pick up the scent of his clanmates, and followed it until he reached the abandoned two-leg nest. His pelt was no longer hot and dry, but was no cold and wet! He had completely forgotten it was raining. _'At least it will put out the fire after a while…'_ He thought glumly as he crouched to enter the nest.

Inside, his clanmates sheltered safely, but he nearly had a heart attack when Lionblaze bowled him over, despite his relatively young age.

"Oh thank Starclan your ok!" His brother was exclaiming, "We thought you'd been killed!"

"We?" Jayfeather asked, deciding against mentioning that he almost had died…

Hollyleaf padded out from behind Lionblaze and walked silently over to lick Jayfeather's cheek, "We as in us," She said, flicking Lionblaze's shoulder, "I don't know what we'd do if you died."

Jayfeather's heart warmed at her words and he purred. But that soon stopped, "Did everyone make it out? Is everyone ok?"

Lionblaze shook his head, "Everyone is alive, but Thornclaw took some major burns on the way out. As far as the results of the battle, there are some serious wounds, but everyone is breathing for now."

Jayfeather soon became a blur of motion, tending to cats as fast as he possibly could. Thornclaw was up first, there wasn't much he could do about burns with no herbs, but he patched up his wounds, then proceeded onto the next worst injuries. Soon enough, most of the clan was patched up fairly well considering the situation.

Flopping down on his side in one of the corners of the den, he hear mutterings of "Well, we know who tried to kill Firestar now!" and "Those fox hearts, two clans at once, they're attempted murderers too!"

Jayfeather gave a small smile, Lionblaze was no longer a suspect, his clanmates believed that the other clans had tried to kill Firestar now, despite the evidence against the fact. _'Whatever, let them believe what they want, one less thing to worry about…'_ He thought smugly.

Then he let out a racking cough and remembered the mass amounts of smoke he had inhaled. '_That wont be going away tonight!'_ He grimly thought to himself.

Curling up in some leaves in the corner, he began to drift off to sleep, but not before the voice from the forest whispered one last thing in his ear as the darkness was overtaking him, _"Four become five for no one to fall. Five become one to challenge the darkness that threatens all…"_

*Lionblaze*

Lionblaze was exhausted, the battle, the fire, and everything else was weighing down on him. Fortunately there seemed to be a lull now, and everyone was safe and alive. It also seemed that his worry of being accused was groundless, as all his clanmates seemed to be focused on the fact that Windclan and Shadowclan had been involved. This came as a great relief to him as he lay down against the wall.

He soon felt a presence beside him, and a lick between the ears. Looking up, he found himself gazing into blue eyes that he knew so well.

Laying down next to him, Cinderheart began grooming his fur without a word. He purred and relaxed against her, their body heat merging and warming them both.

"Thunderclan fought well tonight." she muttered between licks, "even if it was an unfair fight."

Lionblaze nodded, "No matter the odds, I have no fear in my heart, for I know we will never surrender."

She purred in agreement, and soon finished with him and started on herself. "What do you think will become of us?" She asked, eyes flashing with sadness, as if it was setting in that their home had been destroyed.

"We will rebuild, as we have always done. It'll take more than a little spark to stop Thunderclan!" Lionblaze said confidently, proudly. "We are strong as ever, no matter where we are!"

She chuckled a little at that, "How true it is. Feeling a little patriotic tonight are we?" She joked, flicking his ear with her tail.

"Maybe, I'm not worried, and neither should you be. We have each other, and that's what matters!" He said, gazing at her warmly.

She nodded in agreement and snuggled closer to him. They soon drifted off to sleep, warmed by each other, and the reassuring thoughts that ran through both of their minds. Despite all that had happened that night, Lionblaze was happy. He soon drifted off to sleep…

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><p>Yay! Another chapter up! I really liked the battle between Lionblaze and Breezepelt. I think it really brings out the fact that their related, who knows, maybe it'll be important to the plot! I had hoped that this would be a bit longer but it's been a busy week for me, and I got my 3000 word minimum! : ) I'll keep on schedule and see you all next Thursday! Thanks for reading and please review!<p> 


	5. Quest

Hello all! Once again, I'm late. Yes I know. But trust me, this is all part of my master plan to get me back on track with updates! Sort of… Trust me, I'm trying, so if you'll hold through whatever filler I throw in, we'll get to the real stuff ASAP! Is really close, I promise! So, thank you to all who are reading this, and to those who review and have reviewed! It's what I live on! Now, without further of my rambling (notice how I do that…), to the story!

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><p>Jayfeather awoke a few hours later, and questions flooded his head almost immediately after he remembered what had been whispered into his ear. <em>'There is a fifth?'<em> He thought frantically, _'We don't even know for sure who the fourth is! What could it possibly mean?'_ The cryptic messaging of Starclan once again put him in a bad mood, and as he padded toward the exit of the nest, he knew that it would be a rough day… He could feel his pelt beginning to warm as he walked outside, but it was still chilly. _'The sun must be just about to rise…'_ He mused before setting out in search of herbs. He would need some burdock to stop any infections that cats might get, some honey for his cough, and no doubt many others, and lastly some Aloe Vera leaves. The last one would be the hardest, and his clanmates might have to do without. Aloe Vera was rarely found, so he almost never had any. But one could hope!

Padding through the forest in the early light, he noticed the heavy scent of smoke still in the air. His heart rate spiked as it ran over his scent glands. Racing in the direction of camp, he realized that the flames were out, but the smoke scent still lingered on. Sighing, he trudged down into the clearing to see what damage had been done. Brackenfur and Brambleclaw were already there, talking quietly.

"See, if we move that branch over there…" The deputy was muttering to his companion, and Brackenfur nodded.

"Then we could clear the rest of the tree!" The tom finished.

"Exactly, but we cant do it alone, we'll need to come back later." Brambleclaw agreed, then seemed to notice Jayfeather for the first time, "Oh, good morning! We were just discussing how best to rebuild. The way we see it, the fire loosened up the tree that fell in camp, and now we can move it."

Inwardly, Jayfeather sighed. As if he needed that information he _just_ heard. He just nodded and continued on, trying to ignore the fact that he could hear Brackenfur muttering about him.

He found the burdock quickly once he was outside camp again. Picking the stems carefully, he soon gathered a good supply. Moving on further into the forest, he continued to search for herbs, but found the scent of fox instead, fresh on the territory.

Blood spiking again, he crept carefully forward, following the trail back to a hole in the ground near a tree. The spot reeked of fox dung, so he knew it was the right place.

Ironic, Brambleclaw had said that there was a fox on the territory, but perhaps it hadn't been a lie at all, just intended as one.

'_Great. Brambleclaw's jinxed us!'_ He thought wryly, _'In a way…'_

He backed away slowly and then raced back toward the abandoned two-leg nest. There was more trouble brewing, they weren't out of the woods yet! (No pun intended, maybe…)

*Lionblaze*

Lionblaze and Cinderheart had woken up early in the morning to go hunting, for they knew that their clanmates would be hungry. Now they were walking back to camp, pelts very close together. Both were carrying mice, which was better than they could have hoped. One blessing in the past day at least…

Lionblaze followed Cinderheart, ducking his head to enter the nest. As he glanced around, it seemed that the entire clan had gathered in the corner around Firestar, who appeared to be getting ready to speak.

The flame colored tom had recuperated fast, despite his old age. It had been only a few days since the incident as well! Stepping up, the leader began to speak, "We are all well, and despite recent events, the clan is still strong. We were very lucky, and rebuilding is our number one priority. Brambleclaw and Brackenfur are at camp, scoping out the area, and we will start by clearing the hollow in shifts. We have a lot of work to do, but we will carry on! When Brambleclaw returns, we will begin." Then he nodded confidently and went over to his nest, where Jayfeather was waiting.

The grey tabby whispered something in Firestar's ear, and the tom grimaced. Beckoning with his tail, he called Lionblaze over.

Cinderheart nodded in understanding and Lionblaze padded over, sitting down before his two clanmates.

"It seems Brambleclaw was right about the fox, somehow. Or maybe he was wrong…" Firestar began with a grim smile, "There is one on our territory, and its really one we could do without. I don't want to put a patrol at risk, and I know you can do it. So I'm asking you, this one time, and don't expect me to let you again, to chase off that fox."

Lionblaze felt his heart soar. Finally, a great chance to serve his clan! "Where is it?" He asked eagerly.

"Over near the Shadowclan border, not terribly far from camp." Jayfeather answered, "Be careful Lionblaze, it's likely to be frightened by the fire, and may be fairly volatile. I know you are easily capable, but there is always the chance…"

Lionblaze nodded, even though he knew his brother couldn't see it. He wasn't concerned at all, it would be a good fight, an enemy that he could enjoy combating. He could feel the fire burning in him already. But he would wait until night, it would be more tactful. Catch his enemy while it was asleep…

Firestar dismissed him and he padded over to join Cinderheart at the already growing fresh kill pile. It seemed that they were not the only ones with the mindset to hunt.

"What was that bout?" Cinderheart asked through a mouthful of thrush feathers.

"There is a fox on Thunderclan territory, I am to chase it off." He said simply, and her eyes widened.

"I'm coming with you! You cant do that alone!" She said firmly.

He shook his head, "No, I can do it, I'll be fine!"

She gazed at him, eyes boring into his, "I'm not saying you cant, but I don't want to loose you!" Warmth filled her gaze and Lionblaze began to purr.

"You wont, trust me, it'll take more than a fox to stop me!" He chuckled.

"Alright, but you'd better come back! When will you do it?" She asked, looking uneasy.

"After dark, it wont expect anything then, and it should be sleeping." He said under his breath, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening. The last thing they needed was a fox to cause a panic stir in the clan!

She nodded and went back to her thrush as he picked out one of the mice they had brought back. Sitting down beside her, he tucked in, letting the rich flavor bathe his tongue.

Cinderheart stood up and stretched beside him, her fluffy coat ruffling in the breeze that blew through the two-leg nest. Once again, he marveled at how beautiful she was, as he had done countless times before. They were back. Nothing had been said, but nothing needed to be. Now, the prophecy didn't matter so much, it would happen, they would win, and he wasn't concerned about it. As long as he was with Cinderheart, nothing seemed impossible.

Suddenly, she stopped stretching and met his eyes, "Your staring." She said, and her eyes sparkled.

"What's wrong with that?" He muttered, holding the gaze, "There's so many good qualities about you."

She flicked his ear with her tail, "Oh whatever!" she laughed, "Go fight a badger horde or something!"

"I might do that!" He responded quickly to her teasing as they succumbed to a fit of giggles. The idea was ridiculous to say the least!

After they got their breath back they went out to hunt again, with less success than their first excursion. That was ok though, they brought back something at least! Setting down their piece of prey, they padded outside the two-leg nest to a patch of sun for a nap. Meanwhile, Jayfeather was conversing once again with Firestar…

*Jayfeather*

"Firestar?" He called as he padded up behind his leader.

"Yes Jayfeather? More news?" The tom asked tiredly.

"Unfortunately, yes. Can we talk in a more private place?" Jayfeather whispered, glancing around.

"Sure, follow me." Said Firestar, beginning to look more interested as he lead the way to the exit. Once outside, they passed Lionblaze and Cinderheart laying on the grass, and Jayfeather felt a touch of jealousy for his brother, which he quickly pushed away. He was a medicine cat, and he could never have what a warrior could…

They soon reached a small bramble thicket behind the nest, and Firestar led the way through a small passage in the spiky vines. Jayfeather followed in wonder.

Pushing his way through the other side, he found Firestar waiting for him. "You might be surprised how much of this forest an old cat like myself knows!" The Thunderclan leader said, youthful laughter in his deep voice.

Jayfeather just nodded, suddenly serious, and Firestar got the idea. "Speak your mind." The golden tom told him calmly.

"Lionblaze and I have been having strange dreams, we're not sure about Dovepaw, but it's certainly a possibility. We haven't had much time to talk with her with all that's been happening. Anyways, Lionblaze has had dreams about the tribe cats, even though he hasn't really been there very recently." Jayfeather took a breath, "And I have received a new prophecy."

He could immediately feel the shock coming off of his leader, "How is this possible?" He asked, voice soft.

"I don't know," Jayfeather replied, "But I believe that there is a connection. The prophecy goes _'Four become five for no one to fall. Five become one to challenge the darkness that threatens all.'_"

Firestar was about to speak, but Jayfeather held up a paw to stop him, "That's not just it, while we were in the mountains, I was told that there was a fourth cat. In addition to the three. This confused me a lot, as I'm not sure of their role. But as I said earlier, I believe there is some sort of connection."

Firestar seemed to consider this for a few moments, but then Jayfeather felt something spark in the tom's mind. "I think you are right about the connection," He began, "but it may not be in the way you imagine. I assume you have not found this fourth, however, their identity will most likely make itself clear soon enough. But the fifth you speak of may not be a cat. There is perhaps a fifth indeed. You may be going back to the mountains…"

*Lionblaze*

Night fell fast, and Lionblaze lay restless in his makeshift nest next to Cinderheart. Firestar and Jayfeather returned about the same time Brambleclaw and Brackenfur did, and the cleanup commenced. By sundown they had cleared most of the small debris and lots of the ash that had littered the hollow. It all lay in piles around camp, waiting to be moved after the major chunks. Before the cleanup patrol returned, they had inspected the fallen tree for weak points that it might break at, and places where it could be moved easiest. All in all it had been a very productive start, and his clanmates lay around him in an exhausted jumbled of dusty pelts. Their day might be over, but Lionblaze still had one last duty to take care of.

He blinked one eye open, scanning the two-leg nest for anyone that might still be awake, then opened his other and stood up quietly.

"Be careful." Came a whisper from Cinderheart, who had her eyes closed, appearing asleep.

He licked the top of her head, "I will, be back before you know it…" He whispered back, his warm breath brushing her ear.

He slipped out of the den and into the forest, fur already fluffing up in the cold wind, and he gave a shiver. Pressing through the forest, an owl hooted, drawing his attention to the tree limbs above his head. A pair of amber eyes gazed down at him, a sinister air about them. He shivered, not from the cold this time though, and shrugged it off as the owl. What else could it have been?

Padding on, he soon passed the camp, and decided to poke inside to admire their work. He grinned with satisfaction as he gazed down at it, they had accomplished a lot! But then he shook his head to get focused and proceeded on. The air soon reeked of fox and he knew he was almost to his destination. Creeping forward, he soon spotted the hole in the ground Jayfeather was talking about. Examining the area, he noted his surroundings. The hole was by a tree, and the fox would probably seek out a place with a back exit. Silently nearing the entrance, he circled around to the back, where, sure enough, there was a smaller hole, but one even a large fox could fit through.

'_Now,'_ He thought to himself, _'How best to go about this? Enter in through the front and chase it out the back? That would force it to take a route that would need more time to escape, and I could be waiting for it when it emerged. Or, I could go in through the back and chase it out the main entrance. It could be waiting for me come out instead though, if I were to do that… Go in through the front then.'_ He concluded, _'I like that better anyways…'_

Padding quietly back around the front of the tree again, he readied himself for what he was about to do, then let out a battle cry and charged into the den.

The stench of fox was the first thing to hit his nose, but he fought through it and unleashed his claws against something writhing and warm. He was rewarded with a frightened screech and the snap of jaws in his direction. Then the fox was up and making for the rear exit, all according to plan.

Lionblaze turned then and raced out the main exit, running around to the other side of the tree once again. He reached the other hole just as the fox was emerging.

It gave a shocked wail and flung itself at him, teeth gnashing and snapping. Stepping nimbly to the left, Lionblaze let it miss by at least a tail length, and gave its hind legs his teeth for good measure. It howled in pain and frustration and turned on him, trying to get a bite in once again.

Lionblaze was having none of it, and he slashed his claws across its nose, eliciting a snarl. It backed up and Lionblaze realized that it was probably starving, he could see every rib through its pelt. Obviously it knew this too, and decided that it was outmatched in this condition, and turned tail to flee.

Lionblaze chased after it, keeping pace but also keeping his distance. Killing it wasn't necessary, chasing off would be sufficient. He was driving it toward the Shadowclan border, but really, he didn't give a mouse tail about that. After all the stuff they'd been giving Thunderclan recently, let them have the fox!

Soon they were at the border, and as the fox crossed it, Lionblaze stopped and let out one last howl of warning. It stopped briefly to glance back at him and snarl, but then continued on into the heart of Shadowclan territory.

'_Hope they enjoy my little gift!'_ He thought to himself, giving a satisfied grin. He wasn't a mean or cruel cat by any means, but they hadn't been the best either, time for a bit of rather indirect payback.

After watching to make sure the fox didn't return, he began to pad back toward the two-leg nest, his mission accomplished. The moon shone down on his golden pelt, and he looked up at it. Admiring its glow, he wondered for the first time exactly what it was. Come to think of it, the thought had never actually crossed his mind! _'Strange that I would think about it now…'_ He mused, then continued on, pondering the strange ball in the sky.

Soon, he reached the clearing with the nest. Jayfeather and Firestar were waiting for him outside. They stood at attention, clearly carrying important information.

He padded up to them and sat down, "What is it?" he asked calmly, looking from Jayfeather's blue eyes to Firestar's brilliant green ones.

His leader began, "Jayfeather has told me of your dream about the tribe cats in the mountains. He has also received yet another prophecy, and it speaks of a fifth. What exactly this 'fifth' is, we don't know, but I have some suspicion that it involves the tribe, and he agrees. You will go there as soon as possible. Find out what the tribe knows, if they have received a similar prophecy. Select a few warriors to take with you, but no more than two or three. We will not tell anyone else where you are going, just that it is important. They will not be likely to question it, coming from me."

Lionblaze nodded, excitement surging through him, despite his weariness, but Firestar continued, "I know I am asking a lot of you as of late, Jayfeather would go, but he is needed much more here, so you are our best option."

Lionblaze shook his head, "Are you kidding me? I'd be ready to go whenever you say!"

Jayfeather looked pleased, "Good, then you'll leave tomorrow, pick who will go wisely. Dovewing would be an obvious choice, even though she went last time, she would do anything to help the prophecy! She might not like it to begin with, but aside from the cold, I think she rather enjoyed interacting with the tribe anyways!"

Lionblaze nodded, "I've got a few in mind, and Dovewing is good as well-"

"Think about it and tell the cats tomorrow, it will be a long day, and you need your rest! Go and sleep now, we can discuss more in the morning." Firestar cut in gently, flicking his tail.

Lionblaze dipped his head gratefully, and padded into the den. He could barely hear Jayfeather and Firestar still discussing outside, and he hoped that they would figure something out to tell his clanmates.

Curling up next to Cinderheart, he yawned loudly, and she stirred.

"You made it back." She whispered, not looking terribly surprised, but happy to see him.

"Of course, now go to sleep, no more worrying for you. We've got a long day ahead of us…" He said, licking her cheek as he adjusted his nest a little.

For a while he lay there, far after Cinderheart's breath became steady and sleep overtook her. He considered who he might take, and who might be best for the trip. He had already decided on two, but who would be the third? After a while he yawned again and nodded off. It never did cross his mind about the owl he had heard and supposedly seen in the forest that night. And never once did it cross his mind that he had never seen an owl with amber eyes…

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><p>Yay! Looks like they're going back to the mountains! I always knew there was a reason that the Erins mentioned the tribe in the main series and kept them around, so I decided to make them rather important. But in what way? Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out! Mwahahah! Lol I should not evil laugh. Anyways, this was another chapter that I had mixed feelings about. Maybe I'm being to critical of myself. Anyways, you, yes you, reading this? Are you still enjoying this story? If so, please review and tell me! I live off of reviews! Anyways, I'll try to have the next chapter up, back on track, on Thursday. No promises, but the holidays are over so I have a bit more time! And this story just reached the beginnings of the main plot! :D This is exciting, and it makes me want to write! Anyways, I have rambled on far to long, and I'll let you get on with your lives! Thank you for reading, please review, and have nice day! : )<p> 


	6. Departure

Back again people! With another update for you! I'm very happy with the results this story is getting, so please keep it up! Thank you to those who reviewed, added, and/or favorited! As always, seeing that makes me want to write more for you! I'm only slightly late this time, so I'm getting closer! In this chapter, we're going to start off a bit different. Normally, if you haven't figured it out yet, I switch back and forth consistently between Jayfeather and Lionblaze. Much as I like Jayfeather, it would make much more sense starting this chapter from Lionblaze's point of view, just making sure that that's clear! : ) Anyways, no other real news on updates or other. To the story!

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><p>Lionblaze awoke the next morning feeling all abuzz. It was time to speak with the cats he had already decided on, and figure out the third one! Fortunately, for the first on his list, he wouldn't have to go far…<p>

Prodding the sleeping form beside him, he woke Cinderheart gently, "Come on, wake up sleepy head, we've got a journey to go on."

At these words, Cinderheart's ears flicked up, even though her eyes were still closed, "Where to?" She muttered, half asleep.

"The mountains." Lionblaze whispered in her ear, and she woke up quickly after that.

She sat up to face him, and a look of sheer excitement crossed her features, "Really? What for?"

"It involves my powers, and the prophecy about them. But I'll reveal more on the way, we need to go talk to Dovewing, then the three of us need to decide on a fourth member of our little patrol." He replied, gently nudging the she-cat to her paws.

"Alright, alright!" She said with a laugh, and got up on her own, "I'm going!"

He led the way between the dark pelts of their clanmates until they found Dovewing. This time it was Cinderheart who woke the warrior, whispering gently into her ear until her eyes snapped open. She glanced around, eyes finding Lionblaze, and seemed to note that no one else was up yet. She nodded and stood quietly. Leading again, Lionblaze padded out of the den.

"What is it?" Dovewing asked, sleep not evident in her voice at all.

"Another journey for you. Back to the mountains." Lionblaze said gently.

"Oh no," Dovewing began, "not there again! Last time we went we had no idea why we were there, and I had nightmares about cats dying when I got back!"

Lionblaze nodded in sympathy, but said, "This time we have a clear goal, and I don't expect any fighting. This part is potentially vital to the prophecy. A quick there and back. Nothing to have nightmares about. Didn't you like learning about the tribe?"

Dovewing nodded unsurely, "Yeah, I guess…" she trailed off.

"Then will you go this time?" Cinderheart asked, seeming very eager to go herself.

"I guess, but only if Ivypool comes too!" Dovewing said, looking adamant about her sister coming.

Lionblaze nodded, "Well, there's our fourth team member then. That was easy. Can you tell her?" he asked, and Dovewing nodded, already starting to pad off.

Cinderheart turned to Lionblaze, "That was probably for the best. I know we don't expect anything bad, but you never know. Having Ivypool there might help calm Dovepaw's dreams and such. I know I always feel better when I'm with my siblings!"

Lionblaze smiled in agreement and licked the top of her head before saying, "Me too…"

*Jayfeather*

Jay had traveling herbs to prepare, and as he looked through what was left of the medicine den he realized that he might just have enough. He may have dropped the herbs that he tried to rescue, but his den wasn't ravaged as much as he had feared, and the crack in the wall had been barely touched by the fire, so there were still some herbs remaining. Unfortunately, he had lost a lot of the herbs he had set out. While the battle had been going on in the clearing, he had been preparing some ointments for the injuries that were sure to come of it. Those piles of herbs hadn't been as fortunate as the ones in the crack, and he had lost them.

Slipping inside his stores, he gathered the leaves and roots he needed and exited again. Soon he was chewing and mixing herbs again, and for a moment, it was as if the fire hadn't happened. He was just sitting there like he had only a few days before, going about his duties. But then he remembered that he wasn't just sitting there, and the camp wouldn't ever be the same again…

Pushing the thoughts away, he let the rhythm of his chewing and mixing take over, and soon he wasn't thinking as much. It was relaxing really, until Berrynose tromped into what remained of the den, snapping Jayfeather out of his trance.

"I have a splinter." The warrior whined, holding out his paw as if he wanted Jayfeather to look at it. _'As if I can!' _The gray tom thought to himself bitterly, biting back a sarcastic comment. He sighed but pulled Berrynose's paw toward him, running his own paw gently over it. The warrior whimpered as Jayfeather poked at the splinter, but said nothing, much to the medicine cat's relief. _'Warriors…'_ He thought, remembering the old medicine cat saying, _'they fight fiercely and without fear in battle, but when they trod on a splinter they cry like kits!'._

Gripping the thin piece of wood with his teeth, he pulled it gently out, drawing the smallest amount of blood. Then he chewed up some dock leaves and swabbed them over Berrynose's paw, their stinging juices eliciting a slight hiss from the warrior.

"There, just don't set that paw down for a little while to let the herbs work. That'll stop any infection you might get." Jayfeather said boredly, wishing that the other cat would just go already.

"Ok, thanks Jayfeather!" Berrynose said before leaving, immediately putting the paw with the herbs on the ground. Jayfeather sighed softly.

After Berrynose left, Jayfeather had enough uninterrupted time to finish making the four bundles of traveling herbs and wrapped them all in one large leaf to carry. As he padded outside the den he placed his paws carefully, but noticed that much of the debris had already been cleared, progress indeed!

Picking his way out of camp, he padded through the forest until he reached the two-leg nest. Most of the cats were out so he found the mountain patrol rather quickly. Firestar was with them.

After setting down the herbs upon reaching the group, he opened the leaf and nudged a bundle to each of the four. He could feel their mild disgust at the taste that was sure to come, but they ate them without complaint.

After they had finished, Firestar spoke up, "I wish you all the best of luck. This is important to the clan, more important than some of you may know. You are to go and make sure that all is well with the tribe, and I'm sure Lionblaze will make known whatever he needs to. Have a safe trip and return quickly. May Starclan light your paths." Then Firestar dipped his head and turned in the direction of camp, padding softly out of the den, leaving them alone once more.

"I understand that all of you know by now about the prophecy." Jayfeather said, mostly aiming the comment at Cinderheart, who nodded. "Then you know how important this truly is. Do what must be done, if the tribe has received something similar, then you must ensure their safety and decide what to do next. I wish you a good journey, and may Starclan light your paths."

"And you as well brother." Lionblaze said, leaning forward to touch muzzles with the grey tabby. Then, as one, the small patrol turned and left the den.

Jayfeather stayed there until their pawsteps had faded into nothingness…

*Lionblaze*

Lionblaze led the patrol out far beyond Thunderclan territory and into the forests and fields beyond. Their first obstacle, as it always was, would be the cows and sheep near the foot of the mountain.

Crouching beneath a bush, the four warriors gazed out upon the flocks grazing peacefully in the field. Lionblaze was uneasy. While he was an experienced warrior, this was his first time actually leading a journey, and he wasn't exactly sure how to go about it. Plus that, they were taking a more direct route, usually clan cats avoided the two-leg place that they would have to pass through in order to save time. Part of him said to take full charge of everything that happened, but another part of him knew that the cats next to him were fully capable of making good decisions. Though if anyone got hurt he would never stop blaming himself.

"How should we get past." Cinderheart asked calmly, still examining the creatures beyond the fence.

"I'm not completely sure, we've always just walked right through," Lionblaze replied, "but I don't want to take the chance of anyone getting hurt."

Dovewing flicked his ear with her tail and said, "Don't worry about that! We'll all be fine. Lets just go and be careful!"

Lionblaze shrugged, "Ok, but watch where their putting their feet, I don't fancy taking one of those in my back!" he joked uneasily.

Cinderheart chuckled and crawled out of the bush first, waiting for the other three to join her before ducking under the fence and into the waiting fields beyond.

Their crossing went without mishap as Dovewing had said it would, and they proceeded on through the trees on the other side.

"We need to hunt!" Cinderheart announced, and her statement was punctuated by a growl from Ivypool's stomach. She let out a small laugh, "Sorry." the she-cat muttered with a smile.

Lionblaze laughed and said, "I guess we need to! We missed lunch!" (Do cats know about lunch? Meh, my fanfic.)

Scenting the air, Ivypool padded off with a call over her shoulder of, "I scent mouse!"

Lionblaze smiled at Cinderheart as Dovewing wandered off on her own as well, leaving them alone.

"I can smell squirrel in those bushes over there." Cinderheart whispered, pointing with her tail. Lionblaze nodded and dropped into a crouch. Cinderheart mirrored him as he padded downwind of the squirrel to avoid it catching his scent, while she moved slowly upwind until both were in position. She waited for a moment, then pounced, sending the creature out of its cover and toward Lionblaze. The small rodent seemed to realize its mistake, and attempted to change course, but Lionblaze reacted quickly and slapped his paws over it, killing it cleanly with a nip to its neck.

"We hunt well together!" He called, bending down to pick up the catch.

She nodded in agreement and sidled over, standing close, "I wonder why." She purred, tipping her head toward him.

"Yes, I wonder why…" He trailed off, leaning over to touch muzzles with her for a moment. Then he gestured toward the prey, "Want to share?" He asked, eyes sparkling. She nodded and settled beside him. He let her take the first bite then took his own. Soon they finished the squirrel and settled in the sun to rest for a moment before their companions returned. Letting the warm rays heat his pelt, Lionblaze closed his eyes, enjoying the she-cat's presence.

Ivypool was the first back with a large mouse, and settled down to eat. Dovewing returned only moments later carrying a sparrow. Both finished quickly and wiped down their muzzles with a paw.

Opening his eyes, Lionblaze got up and prepared to get moving again. "We still have some ground to cover and I want to be near the foot of the mountains tonight. It shouldn't be much longer, and we'll be able to find more prey once we get there. We'll spend the night, then proceed onto the tribe." He said, laying out a rough idea of the rest of their journey.

Dovewing nodded enthusiastically and said, "What are we waiting for then!"

As they set off again, Lionblaze thought about the young warrior. She seemed to have forgotten her original doubt about the trip, but he guessed that the presence of her sister and the expectation of no fighting had calmed her mind. That was good, he was going to need her working at her full capacity if something important were to happen.

As they padded on, they soon reached the two-leg place. Stopping at the edge of a thunderpath, they stared at it, large and foreboding. This would be worse than the field, certainly, and they would have to be doubly careful. There would probably be dogs and hostile kittypets, not that they couldn't handle either!

Crossing the thunderpath briskly, they entered the mass of dens, jumping the fence that surrounded it to get in. Glancing around, they saw that they had leapt down into a rather open space, and were quick to move forward into more covered location. And just in time as well, for just as Ivypool's tail slipped beneath the bush that they had hidden under, a dog came racing around the corner, yapping and sniffing wildly. Cinderheart let out a disgusted sound as it turned to leave, seeing that there were no cats in plain sight, "Stupid animals…" She muttered, and Lionblaze nodded, creeping out of the bush and further into the sprawl.

They padded around for a while but they soon realized that they were hopelessly lost. With all the turns that they had to take to maneuver around the dens, they had lost their orientation, and could no longer see the mountains because of the high walls of the nests. Lionblaze was beginning to panic as the sun was starting to set, and the others seemed to notice it.

Walking between two of the nests, a dark shape darted in front of the patrol and out of sight. As one, they four cats halted and spread out, ready to take on whatever assailant there may be. Scrabbling could be heard behind one of the tall metal cylinders that lined the dens, and then a grey cat poked his head out, "Hello!" A kittypet called out nervously, seeming to note the clan cat's tension.

"Hello." Lionblaze said flatly, still taking no chances.

The cat stepped out from behind the shiny tower and into the light, affixing his deep blue eyes on Lionblaze, "You're clan cats aren't you?" the small tom asked.

Cinderheart nodded and the cat continued, "We've heard about you, you've passed through here once or twice before too! Are you lost?"

"No!" Lionblaze answered quickly, then reconsidered, "But I guess we could use a little guidance." He said, a bit softer, glancing at the fast setting sun.

The cat nodded, "Where are you going?" he asked, tipping his head.

"The mountains." Ivypool spoke up.

The kittypet's eyes widened, but he quickly recovered and smiled wryly, "Well, I can help you, but I'm afraid it'll be pretty difficult to get you out of the two-leg place before dark, you've strayed quite off course. Don't worry too much though, its easy to get lost here. I'm sure you wont like it, but if I were you, I'd spend the night. I can provide a place, and some food as well, probably."

Lionblaze nodded, rolling the offer over in his head. This cat's suggestion made sense, and though Lionblaze didn't trust him just yet, his intentions seemed good, and besides, they were warriors, surely they could get out of any situation this kittypet could put them in. He had made his decision, if they were so off course, they would need a place to stay, and then start again in the morning. "Alright, I don't see any other way for my mistake to work out. Thank you for your hospitality, lead the way!" He said with a smile.

"Great," The cat said, turning down the alley, "one last thing, the name's Jazz."

*Jayfeather*

Jayfeather was exhausted, after a day of treating scratches and burns, his paws reeked of herbs and he could barely think straight. After Lionblaze had left, it had been one task after another. The results of the repairs to camp were great, but there had been so many minor injuries, and with leaf-bare just getting started, that was not what he needed. Worst of all, Spiderleg had contracted a cough.

"It's nothing! Really!" The warrior had told Jayfeather when the medicine cat had pulled him away from his work, "I'll be fine!"

Jayfeather had shaken his head, "We cant take any risks, leaf-bare is nearly upon us, and between the battle and the fire, the last thing we need is an outbreak of whitecough, or worse, greencough." Then he had nudged the herbs he had brought toward Spiderleg and the tom grudgingly ate them before returning to his work. Jayfeather had kept a close eye on him since.

Now he lay in the medicine den, worn out and hungry. His had been one of the first dens that the work force had patched up, which he was grateful for. He needed some time to be alone and think, and he would have been able to, if his stomach wasn't growling up a storm. Pulling himself to his paws, he sighed as he padded out into the clearing. There was a smaller pile where the old fresh kill pile used to be, and it had been set up for the warriors that had been working on the camp during the day. The clan still sheltered in the two-leg nest, but the prey was split between the two locations for convenience. Picking a small mouse from the top of the pile, he took it back to his den.

As he tucked in quietly, he could hear Spiderleg coughing again, and he hoped Lionblaze and the rest would be back soon, before it was too late…

* * *

><p>Alright! Finished and only one day late this time! It may have seemed weird that I included the short bit with Jayfeather at the end, but it was needed to start the home phase of the plot while Lionblaze is on the away phase, so to speak! At the rate I'm on, the next chapter should be back on schedule with the Thursday thing, but again, no promises! Thank you for reading, don't forget to review, and have a nice day! : )<p> 


	7. Delays

Hello everyone! No, I'm not dead, just seriously delayed. For the past three weeks or so, I have had no access to my computer. This is because my parents took it away because I was up to late writing. Uh huh, you read that right. But I'm back now so, yeah… I'll be once again trying to get back on schedule (I've been saying that quite a bit haven't I?)… Anyways, last time I checked we had just left Lionblaze in the two-leg place with a kittypet, and Jayfeather was back on the home front dealing with things there. I suppose it would be best to get started, here you all go!

* * *

><p>Lionblaze kept his ears pricked cautiously. After a short walk, Jazz had led them to a small two-leg nest with lots of tall, shiny things in it. When they had reached their destination, the kittypet had left, saying something about catching some prey. Now the small patrol sat in the dark. Gazing up at the odd two-leg things, he noticed that many looked very sharp. It sort of put him on edge…<p>

"When do you think he'll be back?" Cinderheart asked suddenly, making him jump a little. Her mew came from somewhere to his left, and he turned to her.

"Not sure, it was almost dark out before we came in here. He said he was going out for prey… I don't know much about night hunting, but I'm sure its not easy, especially with all the two-legs around."

Cinderheart nodded, absorbing this, "Why do you think he's helping us?" she asked next, and Lionblaze shrugged.

"Out of the goodness of his heart?" Ivypool suggested, and Dovewing flicked her on the shoulder.

"It's possible, but I'm always a little suspicious of someone who is so hospitable to complete strangers. Maybe I'm a paranoid old badger, but keep your guard up." Lionblaze said, and Cinderheart padded over to sit beside him, licking him on the cheek.

At that moment, the door to the nest creaked open, and a small form was silhouetted against the moonlight from outside. As Lionblaze's eyes adjusted, he saw that it was Jazz, carrying three mice by their tails.

The kittypet padded inside and set them down in front of the Clan cats, "I could only find three, I hope that's alright!" he said apologetically.

"It's fine," Dovewing said, "Ivypool and I can share one!"

Lionblaze nodded, "We are very grateful for your help, without you, we'd still be lost out there!"

"Oh its nothing, we all have our problems." Jazz said with an easy smile. _'What does he mean by that?'_ Lionblaze wondered, failing to see what problems could possibly ail a kittypet.

Then he decided to do the only polite thing, even though it wasn't really in the best interest of time, "Is there any way we can repay you?" he asked, slightly regretting the question, but it was the only right thing to do.

Jazz cocked his head, eyes thinking, "Well, there may be one thing…" He muttered, "But, no, it's far to much to ask. I'm really quite fine thank you!"

Lionblaze sighed inwardly, now he knew why this cat was being so helpful, "No, really, what is it?" He asked, feigning eagerness.

"Um, Ok," Jazz said, seeming genuinely surprised, "ya see, I've got many friends in the area, and not all of us are actually kittypets. Sometimes, when hunting is bad, we get food from the two-legs is all. Normally we don't have to many threats, it's a peaceable place, but recently we've had a bit of a problem. A new family of two-legs came, just down this thunderpath a ways, and they brought dogs. Nothing big, just a couple of little ones. But they certainly are annoying, always scarin' away the prey, attacking us, you know, the stupid things dogs do. So, I was just wonderin', since you were clan cats, if maybe you could teach em' their place ya know?"

Lionblaze was both surprised and excited by this, but let neither show. _Just great_, another important decision that he had to make. "Can we go take a look in the morning?" He asked, neither denying or approving Jazz's request.

"Sure!" He said with a laugh, "Didn't expect you to go by tonight! Have a good sleep, we'll talk again in the morning! Holler if ya need anything, I'll be in the area."

"Thanks, good night to you as well!" Lionblaze called as the cat's tail flicked out of sight behind the door.

When the pawsteps faded, Dovewing suddenly burst out, "I knew it!"

Lionblaze only nodded as Cinderheart spoke up as well, "He probably had it planned the entire time! But, I cant blame him entirely, he did give us food and shelter, and we're really the only cats that could stop those dogs…" She said reasonably, but gave a soft sigh.

"Well I say we do it, and quick!" Ivypool said, eyes gleaming.

"I'm not sure we have much of a choice, and besides, he helped us, so its only fair that we help him. It'll be easy, he said they were small dogs anyways. Four seasoned warriors against two dogs, we can handle it!" Lionblaze said confidently.

"Well, we wont be able to do it on empty stomachs!" Cinderheart announced before settling down to eat her prey. Lionblaze sat down next to her, their pelts brushing, while Dovewing and Ivypool started on their own mouse, the largest of the three.

After they were finished, one by one they all eventually laid down to sleep. Lionblaze was the last to settle down, washing his face before curling up next to Cinderheart. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, dogs to face and mountains to climb. Sleep came quickly to the golden warrior that night…

*Jayfeather*

Spiderleg's cough had gotten worse in the night, and now he lay in the medicine den, wheezing softly. Jayfeather was pretty sure that it was whitecough, but he didn't tell anyone so as not to stir up suspicion over what could be a simple, relatively harmless cough. He had been up for most of the last two days, only stopping his herb gathering and other work to eat. The entire ordeal was weighing on him, and he decided to go out into the woods for a walk. His mind had been so busy lately and he felt as if some fresh air may help clear things up for him. He had been going off on his own increasingly more these days, but it seemed to clear his head.

He gave one final check on Spiderleg, who was now sleeping, though fitfully, and continued on through what was left of the camp's exit tunnel.

A slight breeze hit him as he padded outside, and he shivered a little, fluffing his fur out in an attempt to keep warm.

As he padded on, his mind began to wander… All of the things that had been going on were conflicting painfully inside him, and he didn't know exactly what to worry about. Not for the first time, he wished that there might be some cat that he could confess everything to, someone who would understand him completely and totally. Most cats saw him as grumpy, snappy, and sharp tongued. _'Don't cross Jayfeather, he's as volatile as a badger!'_ Sure, he knew he had some reactionary problems, but was he really such a mean cat?

He yawned, listening to the wind whisper through the trees. Darkness was falling already, but recent nights had been warmer than most. He knew because he had been out in them looking for herbs. No time could be wasted with the clan as it was, and no one knew when another attack like the one Windclan and Shadowclan pulled could occur again.

Soon his walk was ended by the lap of waves against the shore. The noise didn't penetrate his mind until his paws touched the sand and his head jerked up. He hadn't realized how far he had come. Sniffing the air, he noticed that he was standing next to the tree where he had first found Rock's stick, so long ago. A strange feeling came over him, reminiscence mixed with regret. There had always been times where he wished that he had never broken the stick, just so he could try and go back one last time.

Yawning once more, he tasted the air and, detecting no rain, decided that he would nap here for a little while underneath the tree's protective roots. Slipping between them, he found a patch of moss and curled up in it, resting his tired mind and body. Soon his breath slowed and he sank into another world…

_He awoke in the same forest he had in his last dream. It was still dark, but not in the disturbed way of the Place of No Stars. This forest had a different quality to it, one of mystery and possibility. He felt comfortable here, as if little could hurt him. Glancing around, instead of seeing a foreboding darkness, he saw a warm and inviting one, and padded further into it._

_His paws barely making a sound on the earth beneath him, he sped through the trees, tail streaming out behind him. Oh if only he could do this in the waking world, see and jump and run! So much seemed possible!_

_He stopped in a clearing with four trees in it, chest heaving but smiling all the while. He hadn't felt this content in moons!_

"_Great isn't it?" Came a voice from behind him, the same voice he had heard during the fire. A white she-cat stood behind him, tail flicking in amusement. There was something familiar about her, but once again, he just couldn't place it!_

"_It's amazing! Might I ask who you are?" Jayfeather asked, sitting down._

"_An ancestor of sorts, I've been watching you for a long time." She said. If she was one of his ancestors she really didn't look all that old, about his age really, but it was impossible to tell with cats of Starclan sometimes!_

_He nodded, showing his acceptance of this cat's vague reply, though inside he was a little frustrated by it, "So where are we?" He inquired, glancing all around him._

_The white cat shook her head, "I'm not even sure myself, but it is a good place, shall we walk?"_

"_Sure." He said with a nod, getting up again._

"_Come on, lets go see what we can see." The cat said before setting off in a random direction. Jayfeather followed, paws brushing past small bushes and weeds. The forest seemed endless, and perhaps it was!_

_Soon the two came to a rocky formation, with something shiny poking out of the top. Behind the object, there was a cave, blackness obscuring what could be inside._

"_What's that?" Jayfeather asked in wonder, staring up at the mysterious form at the top of the stone._

"_I have no idea, want to find out?" She asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes._

_He grinned, "Yeah! Race you to the top!" he said, already shooting off._

_She caught him quickly, leaping nimbly from rock to rock, never once loosing her footing. She reached the top long before him, and was waiting patiently as he clawed his way up, chest heaving with effort, "No fair! You-" But as he said it he realized that he couldn't think of anything that she had done to make him lose. He shook his head with a smile. She laughed, meeting his eyes warmly. Then, as one, they both got up and slowly approached the object, the moonlight giving it a bright glowing aura. It appeared crystalline, and if not for the moon would probably be clear. There was a cluster of spires, all of the same material, and they had a mesmerizing quality to them…_

"_Wow…" he let out, gazing at it in wonder._

_She nodded, eyes wide. He reached out to touch it with a paw and recoiled, memories flooding into his mind. It was a torrent of images and noise, but one phrase made it through above all others, _'Perhaps forever's not so long…'._ This was whispered in his head, as clearly as if someone had spoken it aloud. He glanced over at the mysterious white she-cat and found her staring at the moon, seeming to admire how it reflected off of the glowing crystal._

_Then everything clicked in Jayfeather's mind, his vague recognition of her, her pelt, her eyes, the way he felt like they had known each other forever, but most of all, the meaning of the words that were whispered to him. Taking a deep breath, he gazed at her and prayed to Starclan that he wasn't being deceived. When he spoke, he asked only a single word, "Half-moon?"_

_The she-cat smiled._

*Lionblaze*

Lionblaze awoke ready. Those dogs would be taught their place! He couldn't wait for Jazz to show up to take them to their challenge. He paced back and forth, but as he though, he realized that perhaps it would be best to take this battle with care, and not just rush into it, claws unsheathed and screeching. Dogs could be a serious danger to cats, no matter their size, and he simply couldn't risk getting any of the others hurt. He'd just have to wait and see these dogs first. It was tough to create tactics for an enemy that he had never even met.

The pad of light footsteps broke into his thoughts and he turned to see Cinderheart slip out of the small two-leg den. She walked over to sit next to him, sharing their heat. Her pelt was fluffed against the chilly morning cold and he scooted closer to her as she leaned her head lightly on his shoulder. "Dogs today huh?" She mumbled.

He nodded, "It'll be quick, I promised Dovewing that there wouldn't be any fighting, I sort of feel bad about that, but at least we're not fighting other cats. It'll be an enemy that she can feel good about defeating."

She gave him a reassuring lick, "She'll be fine, I know you're concerned about her, but she'll view this as a chance to help, you know she loves that."

He smiled and gazed out at the thunderpath, the monsters just rolling onto it and leaving. Once again he heard pawsteps approaching and his eyes flicked to find Jazz nearing them. When he got closer his eyes flicked between Lionblaze and Cinderheart and he gave a knowing smile before speaking, "So, do you intend to go on your way or do you wanna see the dogs now?"

Lionblaze nodded, agreeing with the later, and Jazz looked relieved, "Good then, the other two aren't awake yet I assume?"

"No, not yet," Cinderheart replied, smiling fondly at the small nest, "They'll be a little while, but they'll get up."

"That's fine," Jazz said, nodding in understanding, "Would you like me to find some more prey, or will you be fine to fight the dogs."

"We should be fine if we do it quickly. We can eat once we're back on the path to the mountains." Lionblaze reassured him, and Jazz shrugged.

At that moment, Dovewing and Ivypool stumbled out of the den, trying to blink sleep from their eyes. "Are we going to stop the dogs?" Dovewing asked, mumbling the question.

"Yep, once we're done, these cats wont have much else to worry about!" Lionblaze replied, trying to put a positive spin on it.

Dovewing nodded, seeming halfway eager, "That's good at least, lets get to it though, I want to get to the mountains and complete our mission!"

"We all do, so lets start on our way now! First stop, dogs. Lead the way Jazz!" Lionblaze said with a confident smile.

Jazz seemed to take comfort in this and gestured for them to follow with his tail before setting off down the thunderpath. Passing all of the two-leg dens was an awkward experience for Lionblaze. He felt that at any moment a monster or two-leg would fly out and attack them, but they passed nest after nest without mishap. Jazz must have noticed the clan cat's unease, and spoke up, "Two-legs aren't really all that bad, just stupid. Kinda makes em easy to get stuff from. Never seen a two-leg from these parts ever come close to hurting a cat, so instead they become useful, but I can understand your concern. I couldn't ever live in the wild, but I get why you might wanna." The cat looked thoughtful as he said it.

"Yeah, I would much prefer the forest to this. It's a completely different life." Cinderheart replied, gazing around in slight awe.

"Yep! And here we are!" Jazz said, gesturing toward a nest with his tail. "I'll get ya to the top of the fence, after that the dogs'll make themselves apparent."

Lionblaze nodded, giving him permission once again to lead. Approaching the house, Jazz unsheathed his claws and took a flying leap at the wooden fence that kept the beasts in. He began to claw his way up, one paw at a time. Soon he was waiting at the top, motioning for the Lionblaze and his clanmates to follow.

Cinderheart went up, followed by Ivypool, then Dovewing. Lionblaze brought up the rear, slowly sinking his claws in with each motion. He had always hated climbing.

He let out a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding once he reached the top, and Jazz began to pad along the fence, leading them along it.

A racket of noise burst from the two-leg nest as two small brown dogs came flying out. They hit the fence and reached up to claw at it.

"You're right! Those dogs are nothing like the ones we have near the moor back home! They're tiny!" Dovewing said, a smile of relief crossing her features.

Lionblaze nodded, but cautioned her, "They may be small, but they're still dogs. In, give a few scrapes and scratches, then back out."

The other three clan cats nodded, and with one last look at Jazz, Lionblaze jumped down, screeching a battle cry and landing behind the slobbering creatures. His clanmates landed beside him, hackles raised and hissing.

Lionblaze charged forward and gave a quick nip to one dog, Dovewing with him every step of the way. It gave a shocked yelp and jumped away, licking at its wounded leg. Out of the corner of his eye, Lionblaze saw that Ivypool and Cinderheart had taken the other dog, with similar results.

The dog Lionblaze had attacked had regained its footing and was yapping furiously, running at the two cats. When it reached them, jaws open and gaping, Lionblaze and Dovewing just stepped aside, letting it pass between them and giving it a some nice new scratches across it's flanks. Once again yowling in pain, it began to flee back toward the two-leg nest, and, casting one last glance at it's attackers, ran inside. The dog that Cinderheart and Ivypool handled followed only moments later.

They regrouped and Cinderheart gave a smile, "That was fairly easy, didn't need much coaxing at all! I think they got the message too!"

Lionblaze nodded, grinning a little, "Yep! Lets go see what Jazz thinks!" he said, and padded over to climb the fence again.

Jazz was waiting at the top, eyes wide, "That was amazing! How'd you manage it so quickly! Those dogs ran like mice!"

Lionblaze shrugged, it hadn't been hard, "We know how to fight well." He said simply, "I thank you for all of your help, now all we need you to do is guide us out of here."

"Of course!" Jazz said, nodding enthusiastically, "After what you have done today, the cats of this place are in your debt! Those dogs have harassed us for too long. Follow me!"

"Great, but you owe us nothing, we helped each other!" Lionblaze said with a reassuring smile. Jazz nodded, digesting this, then grinned. He turned and flicked his tail, telling them to follow.

Lionblaze turned to look over his shoulder, "Alright, lets get back on our journey!" he told his clanmates. The words were met with cheers.

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><p>Yes! Another update! And I liked this chapter for the most part, I've been waiting for the dream scene with Jayfeather for so long! (Also, it's my longest yet!) I hope you liked it too! Now, a survey to you readers! Tell me, and be honest; Is this story keeping you interested or do I need to spice it up more? I hope to see some replies to that, and if you can take the time to do that it would make my day! (It would also improve my story!) I'll have the next chapter up hopefully within a week but my life is really busy right now so we'll have to wait and see. I've got a good feeling about it though… Thanks for reading, sorry again for the update delay, don't forget to review if you have time, and as always, have a nice day! : )<p> 


	8. Mysteries

Ok, so I feel like an ass. I ask for reviews then don't update for weeks! I'm not excuseless but I should be trying harder I suppose. I think its a busy time for everyone right now because a lot of people on my watch list aren't updating very often either. At this point I'm juggling school, DI (Destination Imagination, a team competition requiring a lot of commitment), studying for the ACT, and keeping up with my personal life. All that said, I don't have a lot of time to write. All I can say is that I am _**VERY**_ sorry and will continue to update as often as I can. This story WILL BE COMPLETED! Just keep me on your watch lists and stick it out! Now without further delay, thank you so much to my reviewers! You have helped rebuild my enthusiasm for writing this story (even though I haven't had all that much time!). As long as someone is reading and enjoying I shall continue. I've got some other ideas floating around in the back of my head but those will have to wait until this story is finished. Cant wait to see how it unfolds (I've got a pretty good idea but nothing is for certain! ; ) ). So, once again, enough of my talking, to chapter eight:

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><p><em>He couldn't believe his eyes. There was absolutely no way, but here she was, standing before him. Jayfeather took an tentative step forward and gazed into her eyes, searching the green orbs.<em>

"_It has been so long, yet every second was worth the wait Jaysfeather." she whispered, gazing back at him._

_He gave a small smile in return, "Nothing could keep us apart forever. Call me Jayfeather."_

"_Jayfeather." She breathed, resting her head on his, savoring the word. He licked her ear and she purred, slowly twining her tail with his._

_After a moment they broke apart and lay down, enjoying each other's company and the mysterious glow of the crystal._

"_Do you really not know what this place is?" He asked at one point and she shook her head, a look of confusion crossing her fine features._

"_Perhaps we should make it a goal to find out!" She suggested, eyes lighting up. _

_Jayfeather felt his heart warm even more and he nodded slowly, taking in the suggestion, "Alright, I've come here before so I should be able to come back!" He said, excitement fluttering in his chest. "This place is probably neither of my ancestors or yours, so it must be special. I'd love to find out how."_

_She flicked her ear in agreement, "It is strange, I am an old cat no longer. In appearing here, I returned to the age I was when we last saw each other so long ago."_

"_Its meant to be, we are. Whatever allowed this has made it so that we could be together after so long." He murmured comfortingly into her ear and she gave a nod of contentment before yawning._

"_Perhaps we can find the origins of this place another day. I am tired now." She said, twisting back to give his cheek a lick._

_He smiled, "Good night Half-Moon."_

"_Good morning Jayfeather." She whispered back._

_Light flooded his vision…_

The rest of his sleep was dreamless, and when he fully awoke his fur was warmed by the sun and he felt completely rejuvenated. His meeting with Half-Moon was what he had been praying for, and for once, he had been answered. Padding back toward the camp, he saw that the forest had been lightly dusted with snow while he had slept, the fluffy white puffs covering up the scars left by the fire.

Suddenly, something sparked in his head and he remembered what he had been doing the night before. He had left Spiderleg in the medicine den, alone, with whitecough, _overnight!_ Adrenaline surged through his veins almost as immediately as guilt did. His patient's condition could have worsened and he wouldn't have been there to treat it!

After picking up the pace, he reached the camp very quickly only to find Hollyleaf in the medicine den, watching Spiderleg with a careful eye. He heard her turn to look as he padded slowly in. Then she spoke, "I saw you leave last night, figured you needed some time alone, so I watched him while you were gone. Is it bad yet?"

He shook his head after listening to the sleeping tom's breathing for a moment, "Its not as bad as it could be. Thank you."

As he uttered the words he could nearly feel the waves of surprise coming off of his sister. It was not every day he thanked someone, and he knew it. She quickly recovered and licked his ear, "Any time, if you need some help, just call on me." she reassured him before padding out of the den.

After she was gone he padded over to Spiderleg and knelt down next to him, listening even more intently to his breathing. Something caught his attention and he breathed in through his nose. The scent of Tansy was fresh on the warrior's lips and he felt another surge of gratitude for his sister. The herb would ease his breathing and sooth the damage of smoke. He would need Catmint if he really wanted to stop the infection before it got worse, but Hollyleaf's help was like a gift, the second one he had received that day…

*Lionblaze*

At last they were on their way again. After they left the two-leg nest they headed toward the mountains, taking the most direct route. For a while, things went smoothly, but their paths soon crossed with a thunderpath that had never been there before. As Lionblaze dabbed at the dark surface with his paw he noticed a white streak running down the edge of it, a pungent odor coming off of it. After he finished his examination he retreated to join his clanmates in the shelter of the nearby brush.

"It's new, smells of two-legs like nothing I've seen before. Its wide too, we'll have to be extremely careful and quick in crossing it, monsters run rampant all over it!" He said, glancing over his shoulder as if one might come after him at any moment.

Dovewing looked past him and narrowed her eyes, "I think that there is a gap in the time that monsters cross. If we can time it just right we should be able to find our way through. Just a theory."

Cinderheart shuddered, "I'd really rather not have to cross it at all, but I'll do what I have to." she said, voice convicted.

Lionblaze nodded, "It'll be fast, we'll get across then find a place to stop for the night! Line up at the edge then we'll wait for the ideal time."

His companions agreed and they all crept up to the edge, putrid stench of the thunderpath breaching their scent glands. All of their ears were pricked as they watched monsters rush past about their business. A few seconds passed before Dovewing yowled, "NOW!"

Lionblaze, trusting in her heightened senses, shot from his position on the edge and out onto the hot, hard surface, Cinderheart right on his tail.

As he dashed across he realize that it peaked in the middle and was twice as large as he realized. Panic spiked in his blood as he continued running. They might not make it!

"No one stop!" He screeched, not daring to glance over his shoulder. He only kept running and hoped his paws found the soft grass on the other side.

And find it they did, and he collapsed into a heap. Cinderheart, still running full tilt, crashed into him and barely kept from tripping, Dovewing soon behind. Only Ivypool remained on the Thunderpath, frantically rushing forward. She stopped the split second before a monster came rushing past her and Lionblaze could see her whiskers blow in the wind. She let out a startled yelp but appeared unhurt as she raced wild eyed the rest of the way across.

Dovewing was by her side in an instant, checking her over. Ivypool seemed fine, letting her hackles lie flat and licking her sister's ear in reassurance. "I'm ok, really, just a little scare!" She said bravely, but the shock in her eyes was there, if only just. Lionblaze's respect for the young warrior grew even more.

"Come on," He said, "Lets get into the woods where its safe."

The group trudged into the darkening trees, the sun beginning to fall already. They walked on for a while, the trees comforting them and reminding them of home. Soon they came to a clearing and Lionblaze looked around before nodding. "We wont be able to get very far in the dark. Shall we make camp here?" He asked, gazing around at the tired cats before him.

Cinderheart looked around, then nodded slowly, "Seems as good a place as any."

"Thank Starclan!" Dovewing exclaimed, "I thought my paws were going to fall off!"

Lionblaze let out a laugh, "Well if that happened we would never make it to the mountains. Come on, lets gather what bedding we can for now, we'll hunt in the morning."

The two sisters nodded before padding wearily off into the darkness, tail tips twitching.

"Come on Lionblaze, lets go see what we can find." Cinderheart suggested as their pawsteps faded away.

As the two padded off in the other direction, Lionblaze flashed her a smile, and she let out a subtle purr.

Soon they had gathered enough moss to build a nest suitable for sleeping and began dragging it back to the small clearing. Upon reaching it, they shaped their findings into the characteristic bowl, paws working flawlessly together. By the time they were done, Ivypool and Dovewing had returned and set to work on their own nest. Curling in next to Cinderheart, Lionblaze let the rustle of moss and ivy lull him to a half asleep state.

"Goodnight all." He murmured, already drifting off.

"Night!" The sisters softly chorused.

"Goodnight Lionblaze." Cinderheart whispered, drifting off next to him…

*Time Lapse*

The sound of a cracking twig woke Lionblaze hours later. His heart rate shot up as his head did the same. Cinderheart stirred next to him and he realized that he had never set up a night watch at all!

Gazing out into the forest he tried to spot anything that could be out there, anything suspicious. He slid out of the nest and Cinderheart followed, now awake enough to realize something was up. "What is it?" She asked softly, barely audible.

"There is something out there." He replied, matching her softness. He could feel it, something was watching them. It was something that he couldn't place, but he could feel its malice like a claw tearing at his body. He padded forward slowly, watching all around him for the slightest sign of movement. He could feel a presence near them, but even when he looked up he could find nothing, there was nothing in the area around the clearing at all. No scent, no evidence of some creature crouching nearby, nothing. All was calm but Lionblaze could still feel the air of darkness thick around them. Something had been there, but it had disappeared as fast as it had appeared, and without a trace.

He could feel Cinderheart shivering beside him, but whether from fear or cold he could not tell, he only knew that now she felt it too. They padded slowly back to the relative safety of the clearing and settled once again into the nest, Lionblaze sitting up to keep watch. There was no way he could go back to sleep but he could at least make sure that Cinderheart slept as well as she could after the night's events.

He was up the rest of the night, ever vigilant, but as his eyes swept carefully over the tree line he never noticed the shadowy tail slip back into the bushes and disappear…

*Jayfeather*

Too much was to happen that day, the warriors had finally gotten the shattered remains of the giant oak out of the main clearing and were preparing to start rebuilding the dens that had been burned away. Spiderleg's cough was only slightly better but Jayfeather still scrambled around the forest looking for Catmint. The patch he had been growing had been reduced to nothing in the recent frosts and the current weather was not doing it any good. Snow was on the ground and frigid wind constantly pounded the clan cats.

Borders had been quiet and almost no patrols had been spotted as of late. Many of the Thunderclan warriors were beginning to question whether or not their rivals were even bothering. The cold was effecting them all, the elders now complaining of stiff joints and sore pads.

Firestar had called a meeting of his medicine cat and deputy to discuss the current situation. They would come together at Sunhigh and it was nearly time now. As Jayfeather made his way back he caught scent of a mouse. Dropping the herbs in his mouth softly to the ground he lowered his body into a hunting crouch. He had rarely been able to catch prey before but there was no point in not trying. Creeping forward on his belly he gauged the distance to his quarry. When he felt it was in range he slowly unsheathed his claws and darted forward.

It was his lucky day, for when he reached out with his paws he felt them collide with a soft warm body. Digging his claws in he gave his catch the final killing blow and reveled in his victory for a moment. He could speak of only a few catches in his lifetime and now he had one more to add to that list. Picking it up proudly with the herbs he had gathered he padded back toward the direction of camp, ducking his head to enter when he reached it.

He deposited the mouse on the build duty's fresh kill pile and proceeded onto the medicine den with his herbs. A few moments later Jayfeather emerged and located Firestar, waiting beneath the Highledge.

"You caught that mouse? A good catch." The golden tom rumbled, approval obvious in his mew.

"I only serve my clan. Thank you Firestar." Jayfeather replied, dipping his head politely.

At that moment, Brambleclaw came over, his paws making very little noise on the ground, "Shall we get this meeting underway?" He asked, anticipation coming from him in waves.

Firestar nodded and let the way up to the leader's den, which had survived the fire because it was more or less a cave. As they entered Jayfeather noticed that a nest had been hastily constructed near the back as if nothing had changed. Firestar settled into it calmly and glanced at the two cats in front if him.

"We have much to discuss. I would like to begin with the progress on camp. Brambleclaw, care to report?" Firestar began.

Brambleclaw nodded and spoke, "We have the tree cleared from the center of camp. As you can imagine this opens up the center much more than it has been. We have begun construction on the nursery and it should be done by sundown tomorrow."

Firestar was quiet for a moment but then a small smile of approval touched his lips. He turned to Jayfeather, "What of you, I have noticed that Spiderleg has moved to the medicine den. You have said that it is a simple cough and you want to keep an eye on him but I sense that it has elevated beyond that?"

Jayfeather shuffled his paws on the dusty floor, uncertain of what he should reveal, but this _was_ his leader… "Spiderleg has Whitecough, and I think it is moving onto Greencough. I have been searching the woods for Catmint but my own supplies were wiped out and I cant find any others."

The smile on his leaders weathered face disappeared, "Do you have it under control at the moment?"

"Yes, but if I don't get the herbs I need soon it will spread quickly, especially during leaf-bare." Jayfeather said, voice trembling slightly.

"The patrols that we do manage to send out will be informed to keep a sharp eye for Catmint. All warriors know what it looks like." Brambleclaw suggested, eagerness to help evident.

Jayfeather nodded slowly, "Hopefully we will find it before it is too late."

At that moment Lionblaze popped his head inside the entrance to the den, "Firestar, I am sorry to interrupt" he said, glancing around at the cats before him before settling his gaze on Jayfeather, "Willowshine of Riverclan is here, she says she wants to talk to you, says its urgent." Lionblaze said, addressing his brother.

Firestar nodded, "Send her in, if she has something to say to Jayfeather then it is for all of us to hear."

Lionblaze's orange head disappeared and was replaced by Willowshine's grey one. She entered cautiously, sadness coming from her in waves, "I am sorry to intrude on your lands, but there is something that you may want to know." She said quietly, voice quivering a little.

"Speak of what you have to say." Firestar rumbled, concern in his voice.

Willowshine opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, then she seemed to break up a little, gather herself, and attempt to speak again. When she did, it came out in short bits, as if she were biting back wails of sorrow, "Th-they found her body… Clawmarks all over it… W-we think she was killed… You must make sure your own lands are clear… Mistystar sent me to tell you…"

Firestar seemed alarmed by the sudden change of tone but pressed her for more information, alarm pulsing from him, "Calm yourself, who are you talking about?"

Willowshine looked up and seemed to stare right at Jayfeather. He could feel her eyes boring into his. "It's Mothwing, she's dead."

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><p>Dun dun dun! Terrible of me? Maybe. Not sure cant tell. Finally another chapter is up. I'd like to thank you for reading and hope you will continue to enjoy my writings! I feel it is no longer a good idea to state when I think the next chapter will be up because I just cant seem to keep up with my own schedule. Suffice it to say that it will be up in less time than this one was put up. I hope that despite my delay you will review and continue to enjoy this story! See you soon and as always, have nice day! :)<p> 


	9. Arrival

Ello! Hey, look at that, less time than last time I updated! Improvement! :D I want to thank all who reviewed favorited or added, you are great! However, there is one thing I would like to clear up. I'm sure you didn't mean it rudely, but I got this question:

"_Wasn't Lionblaze on his way to the mountains? What kind of author are you?"_ Maybe it was the way you phrased it… But I'm an easygoing guy so allow me to explain: Lionblaze is indeed on his way to the mountains, I just thought it might be more interesting if I added some more action and diversions while he was on his way. Besides, he is almost there! :D I'm new at this, the only other story I wrote was on another account, it was four chapters and it never got finished, so try and cut me some slack :P. Maybe I did drag it on too long though, my bad. I just wanted to clear that up and I hope anyone else who was confused isn't so anymore! : ) Anyways, I'm glad to be updating but I don't want to drag this on too long either so here is your waiting chapter!

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><p>Jayfeather was shocked. His head hurt and he was beginning to think that this was all just a dream. He silently unsheathed a claw and poked himself discretely. Pain blossomed gently from his hind leg. This wasn't a dream. Jayfeather gulped softly.<p>

Firestar however, remained calm. "Is there anything that Thunderclan can do to help Riverclan?" He asked, voice sad and remorseful.

Willowshine shook her head, eyes closed and head down in grief. Jayfeather also sensed a little bit of embarrassment coming off of her.

"Anything at all." Firestar prompted.

"Well, I may have use for some dock, my supplies are running very low." She murmured.

Jayfeather felt a tail on his shoulder, giving him Firestar's approval. He nodded, "Follow me."

As he and Willowshine left the den he sensed something come from her, a jolt of excitement, with a tinge of fear. Mentally though, he shrugged, if it had something to do with him he would know soon enough.

They crossed the clearing and Jayfeather swept aside the moss that now hung over his den's opening. She entered first and he followed close at her heels. With a nod, he heard her sit down as he crossed to the crack in the wall where his herbs were stored. Sniffing around, he soon found the dock and internally groaned. His supplies were low as well. He had no desire to give all of it up but he did anyways, scooping the pile into an oak leaf and gently tying it off with a dry piece of grass. Riverclan needed it more than Thunderclan at the moment.

As he returned to the main den, Willowshine spoke, "He has greencough doesn't he." she asked. Jayfeather nodded slowly, suspicion aroused within him. "We have more than enough catmint in Riverclan if you would like some." She continued, voice lowered.

Not for the first time, Jayfeather was shocked. He voiced this, "Willowshine, what's going on? First you come here telling us of Mothwing's death, then you offer us some of your catmint!"

She sighed and he felt the excitement and fear within her grow, "Jayfeather," She began, "you know as well as I do that all of the medicine cats have received a warning from Starclan to stay away from each other. Starclan is afraid of something, of us, of themselves, possibly even of everything. I feel as though they may be right to fear. Something is coming, I know it. I think you know it too. They say that we need to separate but if something is going to happen we must face it together instead. United we stand, divided we fall. Have you ever heard that phrase Jayfeather?"

He nodded.

"This situation is a perfect example of that. I came to you in a time of need and I am asking Thunderclan's alliance. Mistystar has approved it, she believes that this is the best course of action after I told her what Starclan has told me. I know it isn't normal but life right now isn't exactly normal either. If we do this, it increases all of our chances to survive whatever it is we will face." She finished softly…

She was shaking, Jayfeather could feel it in the air.

He nodded again slowly, "Lets go talk to Firestar."

*Lionblaze*

"Everyone up!" Lionblaze said, voice ringing through the forest, "Big day today! We reach the foot of the mountains and beyond!"

His voice may have been cheerful and excited but the events of the night before still weighed on his mind. Something had been there, something hadn't been right, but he hadn't seen anything all night. He was exhausted, but determined not to show it. If they made good time, tonight they would rest with the tribe.

Cinderheart stirred beside him at the sound of his voice. Ivypool and Dovewing were on their paws moments later. "We make it there today?" Ivypool asked in awe.

Lionblaze nodded, "It wont take us long to reach the foot, but the climb will be difficult. Best to get going soon, I've already caught us some breakfast." He meowed, indicating a small pile of a few squirrels and mice.

Cinderheart purred at the sight of it, "Your great Lionblaze." she said as she dragged a mouse out.

"I do my best." He muttered sheepishly.

After all of them had filled their bellies they set off again, trekking through the rest of the forest and on toward the mountains. As Lionblaze had hoped, they made excellent time, reaching them just before sun-high. The rocky peaks loomed over the four of them as they gazed upon them. Somewhere in that mess of gigantic birds and bottomless crevices was the tribe. Lionblaze knew that they were closer to the base than they could have been, but that only made it easier for the clan cats. He turned to his comrades. "Is everyone ready to get up there?" He asked, looking each cat in the eye.

All nodded and he flicked his tail excitedly, "Then lets get going."

And with that, he turned and followed the tree line up the mountain. It would lead them somewhere near the tribe, but not before they reached a large crack. This would be a point that they would have to jump over to get to the other side. After that, they would have to fight through the leaf-bare snow and ice to reach the tribe's cave. For four cats who had been traveling for days, it was no small feat.

Soon however, they reached the crack and Lionblaze crept up to it, peering carefully over the edge. He couldn't see the bottom.

Returning to his clanmates he had each of them step forward and take a look. "Anybody got any great ideas on how to get across?" He asked when they came back, gazing at the distance that would be nearly impossible to jump.

Ivypool and Cinderheart shook their heads solemnly but Dovewing seemed thoughtful. She glanced around at their surroundings and her eyes settled on a long piece of wood. It was thin and appeared to be oak, but it looked as if it had been stripped straight from a tree. "We could stretch that across the gap." She suggested.

Upon further examination it appeared to be rotting. Not badly but certainly beginning to decay. Lionblaze turned to the warrior and shook his head gently, "It was a good idea, but we'll probably need a safer way."

She nodded in understanding and continued to look and listen.

Further search yielded nothing and after a while they just gathered around in a small clearing at the edge of the forest, sharing their body heat against the chill of the light snow.

"We need to get to the tribe tonight." Lionblaze announced after a while, staring in the direction of the setting sun. It would be a good time before night, but it would start getting cold faster than he liked. "As risky as it is, I think we may as well try Dovewing's plan."

The others agreed but seemed a little nervous about the idea. Dragging the piece of wood over to the edge, Cinderheart and Lionblaze, being the senior warriors, began to edge the piece out over the gap. Soon it reached the other side, but just barely. Testing it with a paw, Lionblaze found it unstable, but decided to go out on a limb (No pun intended) and test his full weight. Stepping out, the wood held but creaked gently. He padded out into the center, careful not to look down as the wood began to bow. He stopped completely and glanced over his shoulder. Cinderheart stood watching him, fear in her eyes. She gave him an encouraging nod.

Gathering his wits, he padded on to the other side without further incident. When his paws touched the cold ground there he nearly collapsed with relief. He didn't though, and he turned around to his clanmates, beckoning with his tail for Dovewing to come across next.

The small she-cat crossed without to much wobbling, as did her sister. Both however, seemed relieved to be across. Only Cinderheart remained now. Lionblaze watched with concern as the she-cat stepped onto the makeshift bridge. She was lighter than he was but heavier than the two sisters simply because she was older.

His heart started to race as he heard the wood creak and groan. It was already weak.

She had reached the center by the time it gave out. With a howl of fright, she pushed off with her hind legs, reaching out for the other side. Lionblaze lunged forward and sank his claws into her shoulders. He hated to hurt her but it was the only way that she was going to survive. She howled in pain and struggled to get a purchase on the cliff face as the pieces of wood showered down around her.

After all of the debris had fallen Lionblaze began to pull her up, both of their faces gritted in pain or concentration. When he finally pulled her over the edge she collapsed onto him, breath completely taken from her body, wounds on her shoulders bleeding freely.

After a few moments everyone had recovered from the initial shock and Cinderheart twisted her head to look up at Lionblaze, then at the sisters, then finally back at Lionblaze. "I love you so much." She whispered.

"I love you more." He replied, licking her cheek and then her wounds.

After he worked on them for a little while they stopped bleeding and he sat back. "We need to rest, but not for long." He said, gazing back at the sun.

"No," Cinderheart said, shaking her head, "I can go on, we need to make it to the tribe tonight, we already wasted enough daylight."

Lionblaze nodded, admiring her courage and loving her determination. "Lets go then."

As they padded on, the ice and snow grew thicker until it reached their flanks and stuck to their faces. The clear skies began to turn darker as time went on and the sun sank lower in the clouds. As Lionblaze watched, he got a bad feeling that there was a snowstorm on the way…

It hit only a little while later, light snow dust beginning to cloud their vision as they pushed onward through the snow that was already on the ground.

Lionblaze turned briefly and called back to his clanmates, "We have to be getting close!" He hoped it was true though, for if it was not, this storm was going to get worse and they would be stuck in the middle of it.

His paws started going numb and the other three indicated that theirs had as well. Fear began to tighten Lionblaze's stomach but soon his eyes, shut to slits that they were, detected a silhouette in the distance, approaching rapidly.

A cat raced up and stopped before them, white fur whipping in the wind as his paws kicked up snow. His eyes widened and his tail flicked in excitement at the sight of them, "Clan cats! You must come quickly!"

*Jayfeather*

"Firestar?" Jayfeather called into his leader's den.

A weary meow was the only reply and Jayfeather took it as his invitation to enter, Willowshine close on his heels.

Firestar was laying in the back of his den with Brambleclaw by his side, waves of worry came from both of them. "Brambleclaw and I have been discussing some things." The orange tom began, "Jayfeather, Brambleclaw knows."

Jayfeather let out an inaudible gasp and felt his eyes widen. Confusion spiked from Willowshine and he felt her eyes bore into him for a moment. Turning to her he shook his head and spoke, "Not now, now we need to discuss what you have suggested to me."

She shuffled her feet but nodded, clearing her throat. Both Brambleclaw and Firestar noticed this and interest suddenly charged the air.

"Mistystar and I believe that it would be in our clans best interest if we were to join forces in a temporary alliance." The small she-cat began, voice soft but beginning to gain momentum. As Jayfeather listened it also gained strength and intensity. She relayed her feelings and those of Riverclan as well as the dream that had been sent to all of the medicine cats. As she ended her little speech Jayfeather already knew Firestar's decision.

"Between what you have told me," The tom said, "and what Jayfeather has told me, I couldn't agree more. This is a time to fight as one, not apart. Take the herbs Jayfeather has given to you and go to Mistystar. Tell her that tomorrow at sun-high we shall meet with her. The clans must go on as one."

Willowshine nodded sadly but gratefully and left the den, her tail running along Jayfeather's flank for just a moment…

He turned quickly to snap at her but by the time he opened his mouth she was gone.

"Jayfeather," Firestar muttered, snapping him out of his gaze, "We have some things to discuss. I know that there are things that you have not told me. Brambleclaw has been informed of all that I know but now you must tell everything, it could be vital to the survival of the clans. You can trust us, don't forget who the prophecy was delivered to first."

Jayfeather nodded and spoke, the words coming out in a massive torrent. He told everything and left nearly nothing out, the dark forest warriors, the message from Starclan to the medicine cats, picking the ancient Stone-teller…

By the time he was done the only thing he had omitted was his relationship with Half-moon. The way he saw it, it was sacred and in his dreams the laws of the clans no longer applied. He just wanted to be happy and keep it to himself with no one to interfere.

"This is worse than I thought." Was the leader's first flat comment. "I now know who it was that tried to kill me and who it was that most likely killed Mothwing! Jayfeather how could you keep this from us? So much trouble could have been avoided!"

Jayfeather hung his head low in shame, "I'm sorry Firestar." was all he said.

The flame colored tom sighed and Brambleclaw spoke up, "You should have come to us before, but we shouldn't linger on the past for too long. The information is out in the open and we need to take action on it."

Firestar nodded, "I agree. Jayfeather, there is no reason to fear us. Everything is vital. If something else happens don't hesitate to come to us, no matter how small it is. Tell us everything… Now, the sun is not yet set but I suggest that you go and get some rest, you look like you need it. We all do."

Jayfeather nodded and turned to leave, meowing his thanks. As he bounded down the rock face toward his den he realized just how tired his whole body felt. It would be great to sink into sleep and just dream… As this thought ran through his mind he felt a jolt of excitement, if he dreamed, he would see Half-moon. He let out a silent purr to himself, if anyone could make sense of his life, she could, all his troubles just seemed to melt away when he was around her…

Slipping into his den he padded silently over to his nest and curled up in it, laying his tail over his nose and shutting his eyes. Sleep took him only moments later…

_Darkness surrounded him once again, warm and inviting. A glimmer from the sky above gave away the stars that hung overhead so far away. Jayfeather breathed in deeply as he gazed up at them. How could so many fit in such a small space? He had never seen Silverpelt before and as his eyes found it he was mesmerized. Everything in this world seemed more brilliant and beautiful…_

_Speaking of beautiful, he felt a warm presence beside him and turned to stare into twin emerald orbs. His heart melted at the sight of her and he licked her cheek, a favor she promptly returned. "It couldn't be soon enough." Half-moon whispered._

"_Never." He replied. "Wanna do some exploring?"_

_She let out a purr, "I sure do! Where do we begin though?"_

_He shrugged, "Anywhere and everywhere so long as I'm with you."_

_She giggled, "The same back at you! Now come on!" She ran off into the trees and Jayfeather let out a surprised hiss._

"_Hey, wait up!" He called after her before starting off. She must have slowed a little because he caught up with her fairly quickly. After they ran a little farther they reigned in to a walk, tails twined together and pelts brushing._

_They strode on for a while until they reached a shimmering pool, the exact same pool that Jayfeather had encountered on his first venture there. Peering over the edge, he darted a paw down and flicked some water up at the she-cat beside him. The water fight that ensued was accompanied by meows of laughter and splashes that rang throughout the clearing…_

_After a while however, they got tired and lay down to rest for a little before continuing on their way. Close together, they stared up at the moon high in the sky and chatted contentedly._

_Their night together was not over and they would continue their exploration soon enough, but for now, as he lay there, Jayfeather was happy. He was happy for that moment in time despite all the confusion and fear and responsibility that constantly weighed down on his shoulders in the waking world._

_Happy. It felt good…_

* * *

><p>Alrighty! Updated finally! I was really happy with this chapter, I found it slow in a few parts but I think it finally tied a few things off. And hey, no cliffhanger this time! ;) Timing was better too and I hope to have the next chappie earlier than this one! A quick note, I know that Omen of the Stars six is coming out very soon. As you've probably guessed, this story is an alternate ending of sorts to the series. I hope that despite the actual book coming out that you all will continue to enjoy this story! Myself, I cant wait to see what the Erins have come up with but have no intentions of cutting this story just because the real ending has been released. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will be ready for the next one, cause itsa comin! Thanks for reading and don't forget to tell me what you think! And as always, have nice day!<p> 


	10. AN NOT QUITTING YET AN

(If you don't care to read my reasons for delay just skip down to the bold and italicized part in the middle of the big paragraph and read from there to the end of it, that sums it up pretty well.)

HEY! That's right, I'm not dead! And I haven't abandoned this story! First off, I wanna say I'm sorry about the delay and for those that added this story to their alert list or reviewed and such, sorry as well about the lack of updates, hope you're still interested in reading! I've not updated in the past two months or so for a multitude of reasons. I'll list them in as short a manner as possible:

1. The release of the final book in the OOTS series. I took this time to allow everyone to read it and give all of us time to think.

2. School, self explanatory.

3. Beginning summer activities (School clubs etc…).

The most important here is reason one. I wanted everyone who wanted to read the last book to read it before I presented the choice that I will give later. In my personal opinion I think the book was great up to the end. I mean seriously? How anticlimactic! I could rant but I don't wanna take up the time of what few readers I have left. Anyways, to the point! _**This is the important part of this update (Even though its just an A/N). **_I present you, the reader, with a choice. The point of this story was to entertain people and give them something to read while waiting for the next book to come out, I'm sure I'm not the only one to do this but I hope it lived up to its purpose. I am perfectly willing to continue and finish it in light of the ending of the recent book, which I am not fond of. For those of you who read it, this story wont follow those lines pretty much at all. So, here is the choice I give to you: give me four signed reviews or PMs requesting a continuation of this story and I will gladly do so. I just dont want to write a story that no one remains interested in reading. : ) You understand. If its decided that I wont continue, this story will be taken down within the month, but I hope that doesn't happen! If you decide that I should, I'll take this A/N down and start as soon as the fourth confirmation comes in and will be working very hard to bring you the new chapters! Should be out in far less time than my old updates! Sorry for the ridiculously long A/N and thanks for putting up with my worries, delays, and other problems, and as always, have a nice day! : )

EXTRA NOTE, DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T CARE!

(P.S. I hope I don't seem needy for reviews and such, I'm really not but I just want to know that I'm writing something that people want to read. I feel as though I timed this story very poorly in relation to book releases and that has been a source of great anxiety for me throughout its production. My future stories (and this one) will go smoother now simply because there is not another book coming out about my primary characters, which frees up a lot of possibilities that can take place in the book universe (and out of) without fanfic and actual publication interference. Put simply, I like to keep my stories about what happens in the book setting as unique as possible compared to the actual story, but still within the realm of book realism, at least for the ones that are meant to be that way… I hope that kinda makes sense. If you read this, you are awesome and thanks for trying to understand my inner conflicts! XD)


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